Hobart's Georgia Clark has joined Brooke Barwick as the first two Tasmanians selected in the AFLW draft, with Collingwood taking her at pick nine.
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Hobart then secured a trio of draftees when midfield/wing Mackenzie Ford was selected by Richmond at pick 43.
It comes after Barwick became the first Tasmanian drafted, with the Bulldogs selecting her at pick four.
A Glenorchy product alongside Barwick, Clark has been a mainstay of the Tasmania Devils program under coach Jodie Clifford, with her ariel ability and strength outlining her as a key member of the side which qualified for finals in the Coates Talent League.
Having also played for the Allies in the under-18 national championships as well as being a member of the AFL academy, Clark's consistency earned her team of the year honours for the Devils.
Collingwood finished 11th with a record of five wins and five losses in 2023.
Ahead of the draft, Clark reflected on the highlights of what has been a busy year.
"[There were] some good patches and some more challenging patches, but a lot of opportunities getting to play with Allies and academy camps and training, which was pretty awesome getting to learn from the top talent across Australia," she said.
In contrast to Clark, Barwick has had to battle the adversity of suffering an ACL injury at the start of this year, ruling her out from any football in 2023.
The athletic midfielder has been noted for her ability to break lines with her pace and evasiveness, while her impressive skills by hand and foot earned her All Australian honours as a bottom-aged player in 2022 when representing the Allies.
The Bulldogs finished 18th with a record of one win and nine losses in 2023.
Barwick said it had been a character-building process for her to miss out on football this year.
"It was definitely hard from the sideline watching my teammates run out there, but I think it was just switching the mindset to be positive and looking at the things I can learn outside of the game and hopefully that improves when I go back to play," she said.
"I think it's so important to have that mental resilience as well as physical in the game because footy is mental as well. So if we can be strong off the field, you're going to do really well on the field."
Headed to Richmond, Ford will continue to wear the yellow and black, having come from Kingborough Tigers.
Ben Hann
A passionate sports lover, devoted to writing detailed stories about the best people and sporting events that Launceston has to offer. Follow me on Twitter at @BenHann6 or email me at ben.hann@austcommunitymedia.com.au for any stories.
A passionate sports lover, devoted to writing detailed stories about the best people and sporting events that Launceston has to offer. Follow me on Twitter at @BenHann6 or email me at ben.hann@austcommunitymedia.com.au for any stories.
