Sienna Gerardi Headline 11-Pick Telstra Aflw Draft
The first aflw draft delivered 11 selections on Monday night, giving clubs a new way to round out lists before pre-season begins on May 11. West Coast took Sienna Gerardi at pick 6, while Melbourne added Lauren Clifton at pick 9.
West Coast and Melbourne Moves
Gerardi’s selection was one of 11 picks made from a pool of players who nominated for the 2025 draft but were not picked up then. West Coast also used pick 11 on Lily Smart, making it one of the busiest clubs in the room.
Melbourne added Clifton at pick 9, joining a group that was spread across nine clubs. Gold Coast opened the night with Lily Quigley at pick 1, Greater Western Sydney followed with Maisy Evans at pick 2, and Essendon took Emma Dineen at pick 3.
Clubs Filled Remaining Spots
The draft replaced the injury replacement signings that usually happen in the lead up to pre-season. Clubs were able to make those selections because they had list spots left over from December’s draft or because players had retired or been named inactive.
That opened the door for teams to fill vacancies created by players ruled out for the entire season for reasons including injury, pregnancy, mental health or work commitments. The rest of the board moved quickly after that: the Western Bulldogs took Amaia Wain at pick 4, Fremantle selected Noa McNaughton at pick 5, St Kilda chose Saoirse Lally at pick 7, Hawthorn picked Mikaylah Antony at pick 8, and Greater Western Sydney added Sophia Gaukrodger at pick 10.
May 11 Pre-Season Starts
The timing leaves clubs one week before pre-season starts on May 11, so these selections are not just paperwork. They are part of how teams get their lists to full strength after December’s draft and the departures or absences that followed.
For Gerardi and Clifton, the immediate step is simple: they join AFLW lists before pre-season opens. For the clubs, the first Telstra AFLW Pre-Season Draft established a new route to finish list-building without waiting for injury replacement signings to do the work.
