Angst as Cats build list

THE AFLW’s two newest clubs and the league are on a war path.

North Melbourne and Geelong will enter the competition in 2019 and were recently asked to submit a wishlist of players they would like to target from existing clubs. They did so late last week. It is believed the league has now started reviewing these trade targets and will either approve or deny requests to approach sought-after players.

This “dictatorship” approach, as described by a highup source in club land, has incensed the Cats and Kangaroos, who see it as their right to manage their playing lists under the salary cap, which is yet to be set.

The clubs believe the AFL is overreaching in an attempt to balance the talent across all 10 AFLW clubs.

North Melbourne has all but poached Jess Duffin and key position player Jasmine Garner from Collingwood — much to the Magpies’ frustration.

The same applies to Geelong and its strong desire to lure Melbourne pair Mel Hickey and Lily Mithen.

Regardless of whether the duo agree to leave the Demons to become marquee players at the Cats, the league has the power to veto not just trades, but also approaches to players if it feels as if it would give the AFLW competition an imbalance.

Mithen in particular is caught between a rock and a hard place. It’s understood the Cats have told her she can play VFLW for Geelong this season only if she agrees to join the AFLW team for the 2019 season.

She told the Geelong Advertiser last week she was torn over her AFLW future.

The 20-year-old is highly sought-after and a required player at the Demons, and will reportedly join Darebin in the interim before making a call on her future once all the building blocks are in place regarding salary caps and payment structures.