MELBOURNE women’s coach Mick Stinear provides an update on all 30 players in the lead-up to the 2018 NAB AFL Women’s competition. Be sure to check back each day over the festive/New Year season, as we present the 2018 squad alphabetically …
Alyssa Mifsud
Miffo is one of our best with her fundamentals. She put a lot of time into that, during the off-season. Miffo is a great one-on-one player and is very clean with the footy. She has been a key part of our forward line in the program so far. Miffo is also putting a lot of time in outside of the program to make sure she’s the best possible teammate she can be and is ready to go for round one.
Lily Mithen
Lily had a really good year with her AFLW season and then with Geelong in the VFLW. She had a well-earned rest in October before we started and she’s just starting to hit her straps now. Lily’s a great communicator and brings a lot of energy to the group. She’s a fierce competitor and she’ll be a key part of our midfield. Lily is a much-loved teammate, so we’re looking forward to her 2018.
Aliesha Newman
Newy’s development has gone through the roof. Her round one AFLW match was her first game of football, so she’s had a full year in the VFLW. She’s had a minor setback with injury, missing a week of the program, but her combination of speed and skill is really impressive. We’re looking forward to her lighting up season two.
Elise O’Dea
‘Junior’ has had a massive year with AFLW and Darebin. She’s fitted in full-time work and brings a lot of passion and love for the game and club, which is infectious among her teammates. Elise has improved her strength and conditioning and her game knowledge. We’re looking forward to her being a key part of our midfield.
Brooke Patterson
Brooke took a step back from her VFLW season with Darebin, just to get her body right and focus on her preparation for AFLW season two. She had a recent setback with her hamstring, but is otherwise as fit as she’s ever been and looks to be moving well. We missed Meg Downie and Brooke last season – they didn’t play in the same team too often – but they’re a key part of our defence. We’re looking forward to seeing them ready to go for the full season.
