AFLW: Crows set to take part in SANFLW
Players will line up for a SANFLW club as part of their off-season training
www.afc.com.auHere’s the latest on AFLW pre-season draft as of early May 2026.
-
Draft got underway last Monday with 11 picks, featuring players from pools that previously missed out in 2025. Emma Dineen was taken by Essendon at pick 3, with a number of WAFLW players like Noa McNaughton and Sienna Gerardi also securing spots for their clubs [source: AFLW pre-season draft live coverage and previews].[2][3][4]
-
The event marks the introduction of a formal pre-season draft mechanism to fill list spots one week before pre-season starts on May 11, replacing prior injury-replacement signings. Draft results show a mix of state league standouts and young talents earning senior-listed opportunities.[4]
-
Club-by-club notes: Emma Dineen (Essendon) at pick 3; Sienna Gerardi (West Coast) at pick 6; Saoirse Lally (St Kilda) at pick 7; Noa McNaughton (Fremantle) at pick 5; Lily Smart (West Coast) at pick 11, among others. WA clubs and others emphasized the value of keeping top prospects local or within regions to hit the ground running in May.[3][2]
-
For a full live rundown of picks as they happened and post-draft analysis, AFLW and club sites posted live updates and post-draft summaries, including player-to-club assignments and insights into how the new draft format is shaping lists ahead of May 11.[1][4]
One example to illustrate: Emma Dineen’s selection by Essendon at pick 3 underscores the draft’s role in turning previously overlooked players into immediate list additions ahead of the season’s start. If you’d like, I can pull the exact full list of picks and each player’s background in a concise table.[2]