AFLW News - Melbourne Football Club
Get the latest news on Melbourne's AFLW team
www.melbournefc.com.auHere’s the latest on AFLW pre-season draft as of late April–May 2026.
-
Draft order and key picks: The AFLW pre-season draft had 11 selections, with Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney holding the first two picks and Lily Quigley touted as a top prospect for Monday night’s selections. This draft served to finalize list spots ahead of the pre-season kicking off around May 11. The published preview highlighted Quigley as a likely top selection, with the full draft order published (Gold Coast, GWS, Essendon, Western Bulldogs, Fremantle, West Coast, St Kilda, Hawthorn, Melbourne, GWS, West Coast).[1]
-
Regional picks and development paths: West Australian talents Noa McNaughton and Sienna Gerardi were among the early WA-based selections, with Fremantle taking McNaughton at pick 5 and West Coast selecting Gerardi at pick 6, followed by Lily Smart at pick 11 for the Dockers on the final West Australian contingent of the night. Clubs emphasised the value of WA development pathways and late-season form in national talent pools.[2]
-
Related developments and context: AFLW pre-season drafts have historically included interstate and academy-listed players, with clubs naming candidates from academies and state leagues; this year’s draft continued that pattern, including Irish-talent considerations and academy graduates who hadn't previously been drafted, reflecting ongoing expansion and talent depth across states.[1][2]
If you’d like, I can pull the most current post-draft club-by-club list, or summarize impact assessments for specific players mentioned in the latest reports. A quick note: some outlets also reported on SANFLW and WAFLW players entering AFLW via the pre-season draft, illustrating the broadening pool of entrants feeding AFLW lists.[3][2]
Would you prefer a club-by-club table of picks and brief player rundowns, or a focus on players from your region (Bend, Oregon location isn’t directly relevant to AFLW drafting, but I can tailor to Australian-relevant regions if needed)?
Citations:
- AFLW pre-season draft preview and order details.[1]
- WAFLW players Noa McNaughton, Sienna Gerardi, Lily Smart selections.[2]
- SANFLW mini-draft context for AFLW pathways.[3]