IT’S almost a full book of rebel VFLW matches in the second week of the pre-season fixture, with 10 of the league’s 12 teams in action this weekend, eight of them for the first time.
And it is the VFLW-listed players’ time to shine, with just eight AFLW-listed women set to run out – although that doesn’t diminish the quality.
Geelong is responsible for the bulk of those AFLW players, with five – Renee Garing, Mia Skinner, Kalani Scoullar, Abbey McDonald and Mel Bragg – set to line up in a strong team against Williamstown at Deakin University on Saturday.
The Seagulls welcome Sydney Swans AFLW player Bridie Kennedy back into their line-up, with best-and-fairest winner Ruby Tripodi, captain Erin Meade, Eliza Straford, Jasmine Kawa, Sharnie Whiting, Essendon recruit Nicole Julian and former AFLW player Sophie Damon also to play.
Undefeated reigning premier Essendon will field a new-look line-up against Casey Demons at NEC Hangar on Sunday with just six members of the Grand Final team in action, although that will include co-captain Mia-Rae Clifford, vice-captain Courtney Ugle and leading players Kendra Heil, Natalie Macdonald, Tamsin Crook and Grace Dicker.
The Demons have selected Collingwood recruit Marla Neal, important players Mel Hogg, Emma Horne and Belinda Woolcock, plus young star India Lehmann in their squad for the trip to Tullamarine.
North Melbourne has made two changes to the team that defeated Glenorchy last week, with captain Jess Jones and Mietta McDonald going out for Annabel Scott and Annie Xanthos.
The Kangaroos face Magpies for the second week in a row, of the Collingwood variety this time, with captain Caitlin Bunker, Katelyn Lee, Sarah King, Nicole Hales, Nicola Weston and Geelong ruck recruit Rene Caris all selected.
Box Hill Hawks have named a strong team to face grand finalists Southern Saints, the team that eliminated the formerly named Hawthorn from last year’s finals race, with Kristy Stratton, Nic Garner, Jess Trend and Grace McRae all playing, plus Carlton AFLW recruit Charlotte Hammans.
The Saints have 10 members of their Grand Final team in action, led by Ebony Nixon, Bec Neaves, Kayla Ripari, Tayla Kearns and Winnie Laing, plus Nicki Cormack, Ali Hynes, Sarah Black, Ilena Gentile and Gabrielle De Angelis.
Port Melbourne has made seven changes to the team that lost to Carlton last week to face Darebin at Swinburne Centre, with VFLW goalkicking runner-up Jessie Williams and Saints grand final recruit Chanelle Slater the key inclusions, plus Kate Dudley and Maddi Shaw.
The Falcons regain Angelica Gogos after she missed the second half of last season with injury, while Steph Simpson, Simone Ruedin, Paije Kearney, Mikayla Plunkett, Karly McNiece and Alyssa Mifsud will all join her in the team.
Entry to all matches are free and open to the public.
GEELONG v WILLIAMSTOWN
11:00am Saturday, Deakin University
GEELONG
12.Renee Garing*, 13.Charlotte Simpson, 19.Ruby Bowers, 21.Mia Fuller, 25.Mia Skinner*, 27.Danielle Stewart, 28.Breanna Beckley, 29.Kalani Scoullar*, 30.Sachi DeGiacomi, 33.Emily Ramsay, 34.Olivia Stewart, 35.Poppy Schaap, 36.Breanna Pratt, 37.Chloe Leonard, 38.Jane McMeel, 39.Abbey McDonald*, 40.Cheryl de Groot, 41.Teagan Tatlock, 42.Laura Ryan, 44.Mel Bragg*, 47.Sophie O’Dea, 48.Ella Firth, 49.Emily Worpel, 50.Eliza Wilson-MacDonald, 51.Analea McKee, 52.Elise Vella, 53.Lucy Della Monica, 55.Annie Haigh, 58.Abbey Barber, 59.Taylah Nelson, 61.Ava McKeegan, 62.Mackenzie McGrath, 64.Emma Gilligan, 65.Olivia Cicolini.
WILLIAMSTOWN
1.Michaela Meyer, 2.Bridie Kennedy, 3.Natasha Phipps, 5.Ellie Cleland, 6.Emily Eaves, 7.Thalia Wright, 8.Danika Di Santo, 9.Ruby Tripodi, 10.Brittany Gray, 12.Tayla Dinuccio, 13.Sophie Damon, 14.Sofi Georgas, 15.Teagan Brett, 16.Erin Meade, 18.Eliza Straford, 21.Scarlett Dunell, 22.Zoe Day, 23.Jasmine Kawa, 25.Maddie Edwards, 26.Lori Stepnell, 27.Lauren Suleiman, 29.Elsa Mangan, 31.Stella Bridgewater, 33.Ellie Huggard, 35.Nicole Julian, 42.Sharnie Whiting.
NORTH MELBOURNE v COLLINGWOOD
1:00pm Saturday, Arden St
NORTH MELBOURNE
1.Felicity Theodore, 2.Jess Mourney, 3.Dalia Edward, 4.Audrey Rhodes, 6.Marianna Anthony, 9.Georgia Nicholas, 10.Ciara Fitzgerald, 11.Madisen Maguire, 13.Elisha King, 14.Marli Klaumanns-Moller, 15.Gen Walsh, 16.Zara Flanigan, 18.Ashlea Melnikas, 19.Teah Stepan, 20.Kiara Delia, 21.Emily Paterno, 23.Annabel Scott, 24.Ellie Macdonald, 26.Jess Nursey, 28.Margie Purcell, 29.Annie Xanthos, 30.Jade Hillas, 31.Kayla Peake, 33.Teagan Bradley, 41.Robyn Randell, 44.Hailey Birch, 57.Brittany Gibson.
IN: Scott, Xanthos
OUT: J. Jones, M. McDonald
COLLINGWOOD
41.Selena Karlson, 42.Amelia Smith, 43.Alyssa Whiley, 44.Monique DeMatteo, 45.Tannah Hurst, 46.Sarah King, 47.Sarah Hosking, 48.Marnie Jarvis, 49.Emily Shepherd, 50.Jess Bates, 52.Nicole Hales, 53.Ella Southgate, 54.Tricia Cowan, 55.Caitlin Bunker, 56.Riley Christgoergl, 57.Amy Kane, 58.Alyssa Weston, 59.Ali Twomey, 60.Jazmin Tweddle-O’Donnell, 64.Evangelia Nikolitsis, 65.Elizabeth Jackson, 66.Nicola Weston, 67.Rhiannon Busch, 68.Rene Caris, 69.Charlotte Van Der Vlies, 70.Lauren Durante, 61.Therese McCafferty, 72.Katelyn Lee, 73.Olivia Storer.
BOX HILL HAWKS v SOUTHERN SAINTS
10:00am Sunday, Latrobe University
BOX HILL HAWKS
50.Kristy Stratton, 51.Alisha Molesworth, 55.Grace McRae, 56.Jade Wise, 57.Ellie McLinden, 58.Nadia von Bertouch, 59.Annie Muir, 60.Grace Matser, 62.Bella Gray, 63.Jess Trend, 64.Nic Garner, 66.Mietta Kendall, 72.Chloe Bailey, 73.Macie Gilmour, 75.Charlotte Hammans, 77.Maddie Boyd, 78.Caitlin Thorne, 79.Sky Wilson, 80.Amanda Tessari, 81.Monique Trusler, 83.Hannah Fosbrooke, 86.Matilda van Berkel, 89.Sunday Brisbane, 92.Alessia Francese, 95.Emily Worpel
SOUTHERN SAINTS
1.Dakota Mason, 3.Margaret Kershaw, 7.Emma Stuber, 8.Ebony Nixon, 9.Winnie Laing, 11.Charlotte Ryan, 12.Nicki Cormack, 13.Melanie Bertuna, 15.Jane Moore, 16.Ali Hynes, 18.Jemma Wrigley, 19.Beth Pinchin, 21.Tessa Boyd, 22.Sarah Black, 23.Tayla Kearns, 24.Kayla Ripari, 26.Bella Enno, 27.Sera Kaukiono, 32.Jemma Webster, 35.Ilena Gentile, 39.Gabrielle De Angelis, 45.Charli Murphy, 48.Sophie Phillips, 51.Ashley Jans, 56.Katie Prendergast
PORT MELBOURNE v DAREBIN
12:00pm Sunday, Swinburne Centre
PORT MELBOURNE
2.Kate Dudley, 3.Jorja Livingstone, 5.Lauren Caruso, 10.Eliza Morrison, 11.Maddi Shaw, 13.Chanelle Slater, 14.Maggie McKellar, 15.Claire Dyett, 20.Alice Campbell, 22.Jasmine Farrugia, 23.Taylah Watson, 24.Tilly Mottram, 25.Keely Byrne, 26.Jessie Williams, 27.Tayissa Gray, 29.Bella Stutt, 30.Ahlani Eddy, 31.Cherry Russell, 33.Issy Hartog, 34.Kira Maass, 35.Alessia Francese, 36.Dom Carbone, 37.Tanya Farrell, 38.Zoe Mitchell, 39.Emma Robbins, 40.Isabelle Porter, 42.Kristen Smith, 49.Saraid Taylor.
IN: Campbell, Dudley, Francese, Robbins, Shaw, Slater, Smith, Williams
OUT: K. Adams, M. Coventry, G. Cropley, R. Dale, L. Dobbyn, B. Mueck, B. Wilson, L. Wright
DAREBIN
1.Piper Louey, 3.Angelica Gogos, 5.Karly McNiece, 8.Mia Giannopoulos, 9.Alyssa Mifsud, 11.Ashleigh Gunn, 13.Mikayla Plunkett, 16.Sacha Kenna, 17.Steph Simpson, 21.Zoe Larkins, 22.Simone Ruedin, 24.Sally Lynch, 28.Paije Kearney, 29.Stephanie Normington-Dickens, 34.Shannon Egan, 39.Emma Mackay, 44.Victoria Blackwood, 45.Trinity Mills, 47.Alesha White, 50.Sabine Cowley Du Parquet, 58.Laura Mayne, 58.Vanja Smiljanic, 59.Julia Phung, 61.Millie Shone.
ESSENDON v CASEY DEMONS
12:00pm Sunday, NEC Hangar
ESSENDON
1.Courtney Ugle, 2.Manaia Huta, 4.Mia-Rae Clifford, 5.Zoe Hurrell, 6.Krystal Russell, 8.Jamiee-Lee Morrow, 9.Lily Bateman, 10.Eleanor Cornish, 14.Caitlin Grech, 15.Bella Clarke, 16.Tamsin Crook, 17.Leah Spargo, 18.Kendra Heil, 19.Jorja Borg, 22.Natalie McDonald, 24.Madison Gray, 25.Melanie Bateman, 26.Scarlett Orritt, 28.Tayla Hart-Aluni, 30.Jayda Richardson, 33.Chloe Prpic, 36.Reese Sutton, 37.Maddy Pearson, 38.Olivia Manfre, 44.Grace Dicker, 46.Gloria Elarmaly, 49.Maddison Wilson
CASEY DEMONS
3.Dayna Smith, 5.Siobhan Sheeran, 7.Marla Neal, 11.India Lehmann, 12.Ciara Burke, 13.Gemma Proy, 16.Belinda Woolcock, 17.Kaitlyn Carew, 19.Niamh O’Neill, 20.Alicia Bertrand, 21.Shaye Symes, 22.Kelly Thompson, 24.Zoe Bailey, 26.Emma Horne, 27.Amy Laing, 28.Steph Rummel, 31.Kasey Phillips, 35.Steph Barnett, 36.Tegan Williams, 39.Ella Dempster, 45.Mel Hogg
