(L-R) Kendra Heil, Eleanor Cornish, Simone Nalder and Amelia Radford with their 2022 guernseys. (Photo: Essendon FC)

Essendon has lodged its initial VFLW playing list on the eve of its 2022 campaign.

With their core group of stars retained and several new signings, the VFLW Bombers are set to build on their 2021 preliminary-final berth when they open their season against the Western Bulldogs on Saturday.

They’ll be led by co-captains Georgia Nanscawen and Mia-Rae Clifford, while head coach Brendan Major will helm the side for a fourth consecutive season.

AFLW/VFLW operations manager Charlotte Miller said there was a raft of new talent set to don the sash for the first time, with the squad unveiled during a jumper presentation night on Monday.

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“There’s a lot of new names, in particular a number of players who are relocating to Melbourne to join our program,” Miller said.

“We’ve got Sarah Ford, who moved down from Sydney in November after spending a couple of years on the edge of AFLW selection for GWS. She’s a big Bombers fan and has family in Craigieburn, which has made the transition easier.

New signing Sarah Ford. (Photo: Essendon FC)

Mikaela Trethowan is relatively new to football but has relocated from Wangaratta to pursue VFLW.

New signing Mikaela Trethowan. (Photo: Essendon FC)

Joanne Doonan will be joining us in a week from Ireland. She played with Carlton’s AFLW side in the season prior to COVID and returned home following that. She recently captained her side in the All Ireland camp.

Bella Clarke is a young player from Darwin with lots of talent. She came through NT Thunder and has been playing with Southern Districts more recently, along with some doing training with the Gold Coast Suns. She’ll be with us in time for round two.

Jordan Zanchetta is a really exciting footballer from Brisbane. She played 14 games with the Lions in the AFLW before being delisted, and she’s moved to Melbourne to hopefully break back into the AFLW system next season. She’ll be available for round one.”

New signing Jordan Zanchetta. (Photo: Essendon FC)

The VFLW Bombers can make another six senior and 10 development list changes over the course of the season, while also being able to sign up to 15 AFLW players at the conclusion of the AFLW season.

They’ll open their 2022 campaign against the Bulldogs from 12:30pm at the NEC Hangar on Saturday.

See their season match-ups here and initial playing list below.

2022 VFLW PRIMARY LIST

Guernsey number Player DOB Height
1 Courtney Ugle 22/7/96 160cm
2 Mikaela Trethowan 29/1/00 165cm
3 Sarah Ford 24/1/00 160cm
4 Mia-Rae Clifford (C) 10/9/86 169cm
5 Georgia Nanscawen (C) 27/5/92 162cm
7 Jessie Davies 27/6/96 171cm
8 Eloise Ashley-Cooper 1/8/00 165cm
9 Marianna Anthony 26/7/97 168cm
10 Eleanor Cornish 12/1/00 177cm
12 Isabel Currenti 12/2/92 167cm
13 Elizabeth Hosking 30/5/95 168cm
14 Danielle Marshall 15/8/91 173cm
15 Lauren Caruso 19/11/99 161cm
16 Tamsin Crook 3/10/02 178cm
17 Federica Frew 14/6/96 167cm
18 Kendra Heil 12/3/88 166cm
19 Nicole Julian 19/4/92 168cm
20 Cecilia McIntosh 21/6/79 160cm
21 Alex Morcom 22/8/96 166cm
22 Natalie MacDonald 11/12/98 164cm
24 Renee Tierney 23/5/02 164cm
25 Bella Ayre 9/12/98 176cm
26 Joanne Doonan 4/7/94 170cm
30 Simone Nalder 30/6/90 186cm
31 Eloise Gardner 1/7/98 175cm
34 Rebecca McDonagh 18/5/89 176cm
42 Jordan Zanchetta 18/3/95 156cm
44 Grace Dicker 17/1/01 168cm
45 Bella Clarke 22/5/01 176cm
46 Gloria Elarmaly 24/2/01 176cm


2022 VFLW DEVELOPMENT LIST

Guernsey number Name DOB Height
11 Kasey Lennox 7/8/03 176cm
38 Olivia Manfre 18/9/03 168cm
47 Stephanie Asciak 18/9/03 165cm
36 Reese Sutton 22/6/04 162cm
37 Abbey Baillie-McDonald 5/2/04 162cm
39 Scarlett Orritt 20/4/04 172cm
43 Octavia DiDonato 23/2/04 172cm
23 Amelia Radford 13/7/95 168cm