Four West Australians Selected in AFLW DraftTuesday, December 19, 2023 - 11:02 AM

The football dreams of four West Australians have become a reality after being picked up in the AFLW Draft.

The West Australian Football Commission congratulates Kaitlyn Srhoj, Ella Slocombe, Georgie Cleaver, and Matilda Sergeant after being selected in last night’s Draft in Melbourne.

Srhoj from Peel Thunder was taken at pick 3 by Greater Western Sydney, Claremont’s Ella Slocombe will join North Melbourne after being taken at 26, East Fremantle’s Georgie Cleaver is now a West Coast Eagle after being selected at 39 and she’ll be joined at the Eagles by former Docker Matilda Sergeant, who enjoyed a strong season with the Tigers in the WAFLW.

Trent Cooper, Female Talent Manager & Coaching Specialist at the WAFC, admits he would have like to have seen more local players given a chance at the Draft.

“We were a little bit disappointed with the number of girls taken this year,” Cooper said.

“The local AFL clubs only took four underage players between them so it was never going to be a big draft haul, but we thought there could have been a couple of others make it onto lists.”

Cooper believes with the Draft now becoming National, AFLW clubs will increasingly be looking west to boost their lists in the coming years.

“It is exciting that the eyes of AFLW recruiters across the country are now on our talent pathway.

“We have already caught up with AFL clubs on the eastern seaboard to get a better understanding of what they are looking for and we can implement that into our programs to give the girls the best chance of being drafted in the future.

“It is exciting that, like the boys, football can now take WA girls to all parts of Australia.

“For Kaitlyn to make the move from Mandurah to represent Greater Western Sydney as a number three Draft pick is a testament to her development as a player and the expansion of AFLW.”

Cooper also had some words of comfort for those who missed out.

“It is definitely not over for the players who haven’t been picked up in this draft.

“We have seen numerous players, such as Emma O’Driscoll and Jaide Britton, who were overlooked in their first draft year who played well in the WAFLW the following season and have gone on to be listed and are performing extremely well at the highest level.”