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 AFLW pre-season draft news as of early May 2026:
- The AFLW introduced the inaugural pre-season draft for 2026, with eleven players selected across multiple clubs as part of list-building ahead of the season starting May 11, 2026. This marks a formalizing of the pre-season talent pool replacing ad-hoc injury/replacement signings. The rule change and draft timing were confirmed late in 2025, positioning clubs to add undrafted players ahead of the season.[2][3]
- Emma Dineen was among the early selections, going pick 3 to Essendon, highlighting the draft’s role in bringing in players who missed out in the 2025 main draft.[3]
- Western Australia’s WAFLW talents featured prominently, with Noa McNaughton (East Fremantle) and Sienna Gerardi (West Coast) among the five WA selections in the draft, underscoring the strength of the state leagues as a feed into AFLW lists.[4][7]
- Fremantle and West Coast, among others, added local players to their lists during the inaugural draft, indicating strong regional interest and development pipelines within AFLW’s new pre-season drafting pathway.[7][4]
- Coverage around the draft included previews of the order, players to watch, and discussions about how the pre-season draft complements the main national draft’s talent pool, with detailed lists and picks reported by AFLW outlets and regional football bodies.[1][7]
Illustrative example: If you’re tracking players entering the league via this route, you can expect a mix of standout WAFLW and regional talents (like Emma Dineen and WA players) to populate AFLW lists ahead of the May 11 pre-season ramp-up.[3][4]
If you’d like, I can pull a concise timestamped summary of each pick from the latest draft night and map it to club lists, or compile a quick table comparing picks by state/league. I can also provide direct links to the primary sources for the draft results.
Citations:
- Full preview: AFLW pre-season draft order and players to watch.[1]
- AFLW pre-season draft introduced for 2026; structure and eligibility.[2]
- Emma Dineen selected at pick 3 to Essendon.[3]
- WAFLW prospects and WA player selections in the draft.[4][7]