Falcons ‘in top end of talent’

GEELONG Falcons premiership coach Jason Armistead believes this month’s All-Australian game featuring four of his players will bear no impact on their draft prospects.

Olivia Purcell, who claimed the Falcons’ bestand-fairest on Friday night, and Nina Morrison will turn their attention towards the August 31 match after making their VFL debuts for Geelong on Saturday, while Denby Taylor will also get the chance to press for an AFLW opportunity.

Bottom-aged Falcons captain Lucy McEvoy was also selected in the under-18 All-Australian squad of 48, which will be split into two teams for the exhibition match, which will act as a precursor to the EJ Whitten Legends Match.

Armistead said both Purcell and Morrison proved they were capable of playing against women in Geelong’s VFL win over Essendon on Saturday.

“I went and watched her and she played pretty well; 18 touches and six or seven tackles, I think, so she had a pretty good day,” he said of Purcell.

“I think Nina had something like 16 and five tackles as well, so they both did pretty well considering the conditions weren’t great.”

Purcell finished on 101 votes, 12 clear of McEvoy in second, while Morrison was another 13 votes back in third.

Armistead said both shaped as first-round picks at this year’s draft, regardless of their performance in the AllAustralian match.

“I would have thought so, without getting too far ahead of everything,” he said.

“With the talent that’s in the TAC Cup, I would have thought they’re in the top end of that.

“They showed that in the carnival as well.”

Meanwhile, Sachi DeGiacomi was the inaugural recipient of the Amy #30 Award — named after former Geelong Falcon Amy Gorell who lost her life in a car accident — awarded to the top-age player who demonstrates the behaviours and qualities that Amy displayed as a player.

“She made a fantastic speech and was pretty emotional,” Armistead said of DeGiacomi. “It is pretty close to her heart and obviously Amy was as well.”