With all 18 AFL clubs now represented and an influx of talent from the Goulburn Valley, AFLW season seven is shaping up to be the best yet.
There are now 14 players from the Goulburn Valley pulling the boots on in the big league and the recent season seven fixture announcement has thrown up plenty of early highlights.
Benalla export and Carlton number 17 draft pick Keeley Skepper could be in line for her debut on opening night, with the navy Blues set to take on Collingwood on August 25.
Fellow newcomer Euroa’s Georgia Gall will be hoping she is in the conversation for a spot in the Melbourne squad a night after the Blues’ clash, with her side facing an away trip to Adelaide.
Meanwhile, fellow draft picks Sophia McCarthy and Cassidy Mailer’s North Melbourne will face the Gold Coast and Bonnie Toogood will hope to run out for her first game in an Essendon jumper against Hawthorn in a game that could also feature Seymour’s Sophie Locke.
In round six, Shepparton’s Angela Foley will be at the heart of one of the sport’s biggest rivalries, with the half-back playing for Port Adelaide against her former club Adelaide in the ‘showdown’.
The two-time Adelaide premiership player will face her old side on a Friday night at Adelaide Oval in a game that is sure to be a spectacle.
Round eight will throw up another exciting clash with Grace Egan pulling on the yellow-and-black of Richmond against her former club Carlton.
The October 14 game will be an interesting homecoming for Egan, with the talent playing for Richmond’s VFLW side before moving to Carlton.
With fresh season dates, plenty of Goulburn Valley talent and new teams, the next AFLW season should be a big one.
AFLW season seven officially begins with round one on August 25 with the finals dates yet to be announced.
Goulburn Valley AFLW players
Angela Foley - Port Adelaide (Shepparton)
Grace Egan - Richmond (Shepparton)
Annabel Johnson - Geelong (Echuca)
Julia Crockett-Grills - Geelong (Kyabram)
Aurora Smith - Western Bulldogs (Shepparton United)
Bonnie Toogood - Essendon (Mansfield)
Tamara Smith - Hawthorn (Mooroopna)
Millie Brown - Western Bulldogs (Mooroopna)
Becky Webster - Geelong (Benalla)
Keeley Skepper - Carlton (Benalla)
Sophia McCarthy - North Melbourne (Benalla)
Cassidy Mailer - North Melbourne (Benalla)
Madison Gray - Essendon (training partner) (Benalla)
Georgia Gall - Melbourne (Euroa)
Sophie Locke - Hawthorn (Seymour)