FOUR young female footballers who have played in the AFL North Coast competition are pushing their claims for selection into the inaugural Sydney Swans AFLW list for 2023, as well as the GWS Giants AFLW squad.

April Devine, Brianna McFarlane, and Cass Ronalds from the Coffs Harbour Breakers as well as Lilli-Yana Moody from the Sawtell/Toormina Saints will all take part in the Sydney Swans and GWS Giants inaugural Women’s Summer Series, which features the best footballers in NSW and the ACT which each club fielding two teams.

All four are members of the Swans Red team who are taking part in the five-week series.

In addition to the four AFL North Coast players, Alice Mitchell (Gunnedah Bulldogs) and Gabby Mooney (Inverell Saints) will also take part in the Women’s Summer Series.

The Summer Series includes a week of orientation and combine-style testing followed by four rounds of matches.

The six Northern NSW footballers are among 120 players that have been selected who will be working hard to catch the eye of AFLW recruiters while also getting the opportunity to match up against elite-listed players from the Giants.

April Devine is a current member of the Swans Top End Academy and last year represented the Allies at the AFLW Under 19 National Championships.

Brianna McFarlane was a member of the Brisbane Lions AFLW squad for two seasons after being selected as an other sport rookie in 2018.

Cass Ronalds is a former member of the Swans Academy program who won the AFL North Coast Best and Fairest award in 2020.

Lilli-Yana Moody is a current member of the Swans Top End Academy who has successfully transitioned from an elite basketball background.

Alice Mitchell represented NSW/ACT and the Eastern Allies at the AFLW Under 18 Championships for two years, while Gabby Mooney is a former Queensland junior representative at National Championships, and has previously played in the Queensland state league and is a two time winner of the AFL North West Best and Fairest award.

Community Football Manager Paul Taylor said that the series represents an outstanding chance for the local girls to show their wares to recruiters.

“Not only are the Swans looking to build a team to enter next year’s AFLW competition, the Giants will also be looking for draft prospects,” he said.

“This is an unbelievable chance for players with elite ambition to take the next step towards their dream of an AFLW berth – this is their chance to prove themselves against the best.

“Our Northern NSW region has already had three AFLW listed players and we hope that the six players involved in the Summer Series can provide the next wave of local talent to make it to the elite level.”

Executive General Manager – AFLW for the Swans, Kate Mahony, acknowledged the critical role the Summer Series will play in unearthing talent.

“It takes a tremendous amount of effort to build a quality list from scratch, and the Women’s Summer Series is bringing NSW and ACT footballers together to compete to be the best,” she said.

“This series is a step closer to creating history at the club, as we look to forming a competitive AFLW team.

“It will be incredibly exciting to watch the series discover future AFLW athletes from across local competitions, as they chase their dream of pulling on the red and white guernsey.

“We’re looking forward to scouting as many future Swans athletes as possible.”

The Women’s Summer Series began on 5 February and continues weekly until 12 March.

 

By Aiden BURGESS