The Cats have named 42 players for its first VFL Women’s team after 160 turned up to compete for places on the list.
VFL Women’s coach Paul Hood said the selection was tough at the club’s inaugural Talent ID Day.
“It’s been a difficult exercise cutting the squad down to just 42 but we’re really pleased with the calibre of athletes we have selected.”
The pre-season squad includes women from the Geelong as well as Bacchus Marsh, Kew, Sunbury and Lake Wendouree.
The coaching panel took a youthful approach to selection, with most of the team aged under 25.
The list included 17 former Geelong Magpies players and 10 women from other sports, including three-time GFL netball star Renee Garing and Geelong Supercats captain Anna Teague.
Baseballer Leslie Anglin, Australian gymnastics champion Emily Ramsay, steeplechaser Isabelle Gerardi, futsal representative Carla D’Alessandro and ultimate Frisbee representative Hannah Mangan will also line up for the Cats.
Eliza Shannon, a promising talent and member of the
Geelong Falcons Youth Girls Academy Eliza Shannon earned a place after playing in under-16 and under-18 All-Australian football teams in 2015.
Pre-season training begins Tuesday night.
Other squad members are Emma Allen, Temikka Beeston, Abbey Bertram, Cassie Blakeway, Maddie Boyd, Hannah Burchell, Simone Craig, Emily Crawford, Marianna Anthony, Cheryl de Groot, Lucy de Groot, Emma Delaney, Michelle Fedele, Demi Grant, Alisha Habib, Michaela Harding, Cassandra Hynes, Jordan Ivey, Maddison Janssen, Millie Klingbeil, Madisen Maguire, Lily Mithen, Shae-Lee Murphy-Burke, Brodie Pedretti, Riley Shapter, Katrina Simmons, Jess Smith, Brooke Surgeon, Laura Taylor, Teresa Telford, Lara Williams, Krista Woodroffe, Jaime Woollett and Tayla Zammit.
