MELBOURNE women’s coach Mick Stinear provides an update on all 27 players in the lead-up to the inaugural AFL Women’s competition. Be sure to check back each day over the festive season and new year, as we present the 2017 squad …

Elise O’Dea
She has been excellent on the track. Whenever she finds the footy in her hands, things start to open up and things start to happen. I’ve been really happy with her leadership and how she approached her pre-Christmas training. She’ll be a strong-bodied mid/forward and do some damage in front of goal. Elise is one that wants to see this group succeed. She’s a passionate Melbourne supporter and is always smiling when she’s in this environment. Elise is going really well.

Brooke Patterson
Brooke is a tireless worker. She has a never-say-die attitude and never gives in. She’s another one that’s stood out defensively at training, particularly with her decision-making and positioning. At this stage, I see her playing defence, but she’s more than capable of playing midfield/wing. She put a lot of work in prior to pre-season and came with a good fitness base, so she’s set herself up really well.

Karen Paxman
Paxy has set the benchmark with her aerobic fitness and conditioning. She only knows one way – and that’s going as hard as possible. Karen’s a really exciting player to watch and 16-a-side suits her game. When the rest of the opposition is fighting fatigue, she’ll be finding another gear. We see her playing through the midfield and across half-back. She can even go forward and do some damage. The 16-a-side model is the game for her and we’re excited about seeing what she can do.