By Russell Bennett
They’ve come from all walks of sporting life to join as one – the first crop of players to stride out onto the field in the AFL Women’s competition.
The south-east has long been known as a footy hotbed and Wednesday’s inaugural women’s draft only provided more proof of that with 11 players from the south-east selected.
Cranbourne was the big winner with seven of its players finding homes in the AFL while Keysborough’s Jaimee Lambert and former Dandenong WNBL player Alison Downie will also be playing footy on the big stage next year.
Lambert was selected with the fifth overall pick in the draft and the first for the Western Bulldogs.
She won the Susan Alberti award recently for her performance in this year’s AFL Women’s Exhibition Series and was one of 19 players added to the Bulldogs’ list for the inaugural AFLW season.
Speaking to the Western Bulldogs’ website, Lambert said it was a dream come true to be drafted to the Whitten Oval.
“I couldn’t be happier than to be at the Bulldogs,” she said.
Bulldogs coach Paul Groves said it wasn’t just the 22-year-old’s toughness that made her stand out from the pack.
“In the all-star game she had nine or 10 tackles but she’s got tricks, she can take a hanger and loves to kick a goal as well so I think we’ve drafted the complete package,” he said.
Downie, meanwhile, was selected by the Blues with the 129th overall selection.
She is from Diamond Creek and has been playing top-flight football for the past five years.
She was also a VFL Women’s Team of the Year selection in the ruck and all of this is made even more remarkable by the fact that the 32-year-old is also a 326-game veteran of the Dandenong Rangers in the WNBL.
Meanwhile, Cranbourne VWFL coach Kris Smith could hardly contain his excitement, telling the Journal soon after seven of his players were drafted: “Anything is possible – that’s the attitude we have to instil into these girls. One big year, and anything is possible for them.”
The draft started with a bang with Eagles alum Bianca Jakobsson taken with the third overall pick by Carlton.
She was later followed into the new competition by former Eagles team mates Kirsten McLeod (pick 28), Danielle Hardiman (35), Hayley Wildes (44), Breann Moody (67), Courtney Clarkson (124) and Jas Grierson (135).
“She had her heart set on either Carlton or the Bulldogs so for her to get to Carlton – she was rapt,” Smith said of lifelong Blues fan Jakobsson.
“I call her the ultimate professional – she does all the work, and more.
“I get to training and she’s been there half an hour before me running laps.
“She’ll stick around after training and have shots at goal if she’s got time.
“She’s a really hard worker, she’s a great kid, and I said at presentation night she’ll be a future leader of a club.
“She’s that excited about it and I know she’ll definitely go really well.
“She’ll be able to run up and down those wings and just kill her opponents like she does at VFL level.”
