Latest News About Aflw Pre Season Draft

Here’s the latest on the AFLW pre-season draft as of May 2026.

Direct update

• The AFLW’s first pre-season draft took place on Monday night, May 3, 2026. Eleven players were selected to join AFLW clubs ahead of the 2026 season, with picks including Noa McNaughton (Fremantle) and Sienna Gerardi (West Coast), among others. This draft introduced a new mechanism for clubs to round out lists before the pre-season begins on May 11.[3]

Key outcomes and coverage

• Full draft results and individual club picks were published, detailing every selection and highlighting which players joined which clubs. You can review “Who did your club choose? Every pick from the AFLW Pre-Season Draft” for a complete list.[6]
• Pre-draft previews and analysis emphasized the locked draft order and the potential impact of the top picks, with selections like Amaia Wain (Sydney’s academy) and Mikaylah Antony (SANFLW standout) noted among the notable names in the build-up.[1]
• WA-based clubs secured two of their own in the draft, with Noa McNaughton (Fremantle) and Sienna Gerardi (West Coast) among the early picks, plus Lily Smart (West Coast) later in the order, illustrating how regional talent featured prominently in this inaugural draft.[2]

What this means for teams and the season

• The pre-season draft serves to complete lists and prepare squads for a May 11 start to pre-season training, replacing traditional injury-replacement signings and enabling clubs to hit the ground running.[3]
• Clubs publicly discussed the selections and their expectations for the new players, signaling the start of new on-field contributions from this draft class.[6][3]

If you’d like, I can pull the exact pick-by-pick list for each club or summarize how the top 3 picks are expected to influence their teams this season. Also, I can provide a snapshot of how AFLW pre-season rosters look now compared with last year. Would you prefer a concise pick table or a narrative summary?

Citations

• AFLW pre-season draft overview and results coverage: "Every pick of the first AFLW Pre-Season Draft".[3]
• WA players Noa McNaughton and Sienna Gerardi selected in the draft (Fremantle, West Coast): WA media reporting.[2]
• Full draft order and players to watch (pre-draft analysis): AFL/W articles and previews.[1]
• Draft’s role in list building ahead of May 11 start: AFLW live draft summary.[3]
• Complete list of picks by club: AFLW draft results article.[6]