A group of Eagles AFLW players will lace up their boots this weekend, but not for the blue and gold.
Ten stars of West Coast are putting up their hands to compete in the WAFLW on Sunday afternoon.
Pacey midfielder Hayley Bullas will be amongst the mix for Claremont, joined by versatile utility Kate Orme and durable defender Sophie McDonald.
They’ll play against Eagles teammate and goalsneak Bea Devlyn, who has been managing consistent matches after being sidelined with injury for the 2021 season.
Meanwhile, round five Rising Star nominee Mikayla Bowen will join experienced forward Kellie Gibson to bolster the Swan Districts side.
They’ll clash with Peel Thunder, and key defender Demi Liddle.
Across the Nullarbor, speedster Katelyn Pope and defensive stalwarts, Amber Ward and Lauren Gauci are playing in the SANFLW this weekend for North Adelaide Roosters.
And further east, Chantellla Perera prepares to join Hawthorn’s VFLW side in a late-season entry.
“It's really important for a number of our players to be back playing regular football, it's an exciting competition and we can see Swan Districts came out of the block flying and playing a really strong brand of football,” AFLW Operations and bench coach Michelle Cowan said.
“The WAFLW competition is so important to the development and growth of football in Western Australia.
“This is the league that will supply the next AFLW draft picks in the future.
“We are watching all the games and there is some exciting talent coming through and we look forward to watching their development over the years.
“Gibson returned to Swan Districts kicking a few goals. Bowen is playing as well. Cameron has played however now unavailable due to injured finger.
“Pope is doing really well, playing a consistent brand of football and has been best on ground a couple of times for the North Adelaide Roosters.
“Having the WAFLW season coincide with AFLW has been incredibly beneficial for the players to consistently get a game and hopefully work their way back into the AFLW side.
“Now with WAFLW season still going they can continue to work on their game and growth.”
Details below:
Round 11 WAFLW – Sunday May 9
Claremont Oval, 2:00pm
Claremont (McDonald, Bullas, Orme) v Subiaco (Devlyn)
Steel Blue Oval, 2:00pm
Swan Districts (Gibson, Bowen) v Peel Thunder (Liddle)
Round 10 SANFLW – Saturday May 8
Prospect Oval, 9:15am AWST
North Adelaide (Pope, Ward, Gauci) v West Adelaide
