Three New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory products have earned AFLW opportunities, with Lily Quigley, Amaia Wain and Sophia Gaukrodger all selected in Monday night’s Telstra AFLW Pre-Season Draft.
Ainslie Tricolours and GIANTS Academy product, Lily Quigley, was taken with Pick 1 by the Gold Coast SUNS.
Quigley played 60 games for Ainslie across the junior and senior pathways, including 32 senior games where she was named among the best players on 20 occasions. After relocating from NSW to Queensland, Quigley continued to impress as an overager in Brisbane’s talent academy, using her speed, footy smarts to catch the attention of AFLW recruiters.
She was joined in the top five by Amaia Wain, who was selected by the Western Bulldogs with Pick 4.
A Sydney Swans Academy product, Wain played more than 50 games in AFL North Coast across Sawtell Toormina Saints and Bellingen Bulldogs, before lining up for UNSW-ES Bulldogs in the AFL Sydney Women’s Premier Division.
Across her 14 games for UNSW-ES Bulldogs, Wain was named among the best players 12 times. A raw, but super talented ruck option.
Originally from Coffs Harbour, Wain previously travelled long distances to play football in Sydney, but has continued to progress since moving to the state’s capital. A former high jumper with a strong endurance base, her vertical leap and speed give the Bulldogs plenty to work with.
Rounding out the NSW/ACT selections was Sophia Gaukrodger, who was taken by the GIANTS with Pick 10.
An Inner West Magpies junior and UTS Bats product, Gaukrodger has been a consistent threat in front of goal, kicking 41 goals from 39 games for UTS.
A product of the GIANTS Academy, Gaukrodger adds another local pathway story to the club’s AFLW list. Known for her physicality through the midfield, strong running capacity and ability to play at either end of the ground, she now gets her opportunity at the elite level.
The trio will now turn their attention to AFLW pre-season, which begins the week of May 11, ahead of Round 1 later this year.