Geelong has retained the signatures of two of the most established female footballers in Benalla’s Becky Webster and Kyabram’s Julia Crockett-Grills.
Webster has inked a long-term deal that keeps her at the Cats until the end of 2027, while Crockett-Grills has secured a two-year extension.
Both passed the 50-game mark in the 2023 campaign as Geelong bowed out in the preliminary final, becoming the third (Webster) and second (Crockett-Grills) most experienced players on the Cats’ list.
Meanwhile, Melbourne Football Club has placed a vote of confidence in one of the region’s finest up-and-coming multi-talents.
Euroa’s Georgia Gall has signed a one-year extension on her deal with the Demons, keeping her in the red and blue until at least the end of 2024.
The 19-year-old football and cricket starlet’s commitment comes as part of a mass re-signing by a mob of Melbourne’s rising stars, with Gall pledging her allegiance alongside nine others.
Melbourne AFLW list manager Todd Patterson waxed lyrical about the emerging group and its impact to date.
“It’s fantastic to finish off the signing period with such a significant group of emerging talents,” he said.
“Whilst many of these players are already well established, we see continued growth in them that will drive the performance of our side moving forward.
“Every single one of these players have shown they have what it takes to play at the level and their commitment, along with the rest of the group, to return and work together to get back towards our ultimate goal gives us great energy.”
Gall debuted in round nine of the 2023 AFLW season in an 8.13 (61) to 4.4 (28) win over Fremantle on October 28.
She featured for Melbourne the week after in a 25-point loss to eventual premier Brisbane, but didn’t suit up in either of the Demons’ two finals as the side was barrelled out in the semis by Geelong.
Gall is described as a tall, versatile defender, but her versatility extends well beyond the backline.
In 2020 the Euroa product joined Melbourne Stars’ ranks at just 16 to play in the Women’s Big Bash League, securing another season in Stars’ green a year later.
Though the cross-coder’s focus seems to have switched from cricket to football, Gall’s potential remains uncapped as she joins several young talents adding to Melbourne’s insurance policy over the off-season.
Further west, Mooroopna’s Millie Brown has not been offered a new deal at her current club.
On Monday, Western Bulldogs announced they no longer required the 22-year-old defender’s services, bringing an end to her two years at the Kennel.
Brown played five games for the Bulldogs after arriving from Geelong, where she was selected under the father-daughter rule in the 2019 AFLW Draft.
