Waiting game for Falcon six

GEELONG Falcons coach Paul Corrigan says six AFLW draft combine invitees are honing their craft in the VFLW as they await an announcement regarding the date and location.

Charlotte Simpson, Ash Van Loon, Grace Purcell, Analea McKee, Lizzie Dowling and Mia Van Dyke have been invited to attend the combine.

But they are not sure when or where it will be as the AFL and AFL Players’ Association work through a new collective bargaining agreement.

“We haven’t even heard when the actual draft is, we’re hoping to hear in the next week or so of what that might look like and when that is,” Corrigan said.

The AFL has previously stated it is working towards a late August start date for the season.

Corrigan said draft hopefuls had returned to VFLW clubs to continue training and playing ahead of the combine and draft.

“We’ve just sort of kept tabs on them, a lot of the girls, I guess the top-end girls, are training with VFLW (clubs), which is a good thing,” Corrigan said.

Corrigan said each Falcon invited to the combine had a chance of being drafted

“I’d say they’ve all got a chance, when you look at them from an individual point of view, they all provide something a little bit different,” he said.

“It’s really hard to know, because obviously with the expansion clubs coming in, with the four new teams, how many selections there will be.

“They all have attributes that can step right in to any club they go to, so hopefully we get a nice contingent of girls selected, which would be good.”

At the Falcons’ best-andfairest count, 16-year-old Sara Howley took out the top honour ahead of Keeley Hardingham and Dowling.

Van Loon won the Amy Gorell Players’ Award and Kara Stacey the coaches’ award.