Five WAFL Women’s young guns to watch in season 2024

The WAFLW season will kick off on Saturday afternoon as one of the most anticipated in the league’s history.

Can Claremont respond after copping their only loss of the season in the grand final? Will South Fremantle take the next step in their rapid rise to claim the cup? Will East Fremantle deliver more of the same success despite some off-season turbulance?

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But one of the biggest reasons to be excited about the season ahead is the level of young talent in the league.

Teenage talent is taking over in the WAFLW and it’s going nowhere, with every team driven in part by a talented core of players who are either in line for the AFLW draft later this year or still two seasons away from eligibility.

It’s hard to narrow down, but here is our list of five to keep an eye on in the season ahead:

ZIPPY FISH (East Fremantle)

Expect this year’s most influential Shark to be a Fish. If you haven’t heard of Zippy Fish yet, you’re not paying attention. Fish took the WAFLW finals by storm last year, leading East Fremantle to a flag with a best-on-ground performance against Claremont in the grand final. While her elite outside work is what catches the eye, and has seen her noticed through the underage system, it’s the development of her game on the inside at senior level which has seen her really rocket up the AFLW draft charts as a complete midfielder. Whether it’s digging in at stoppages or breaking free and lacing out her forwards, expect Fish to be at the forefront of the Sharks’ back-to-back drive and right in conversation for this year’s No.1 AFLW draft pick.

MOLLY O’HEHIR (South Fremantle)

Aggressive with the ball in hand. Good in the air. Tall and versatile. If there’s anyone who will rival Zippy as the best WA talent in this year’s draft crop it will be Molly O’Hehir. A serious contributor to South Fremantle’s surprising rise last year, O’Hehir leads a pack of talented young Bulldogs who will look to challenge East Fremantle and Claremont in this year’s premiership race. There aren’t a lot of players in the WAFLW who have the teenager’s combination of height, skill and agility - a skillset which allows her to genuinely be used anywhere on the park. All-Australian as an underage player in the 2023 under-18 championships and a member of the AFLW Academy, expect big things from the young Bulldog.

EVIE COWCHER (Peel Thunder)

The list of players who gain under-16 and under-18 All Australian honours in the same year is short. It might just be Evie Cowcher to be honest. Cowcher made the jump from Rogers Cup to WAFLW seniors last season and didn’t miss a beat. In the best for Peel most weeks, the defender reads the game well, holds her composure and absolutely racks up the footy. Last year’s (eventual) WAFLW rising star winner is set to be a huge asset for the Thunder once again, and she’s still two full seasons away from being draft eligible.

MIA RUSSO (West Perth)

Best player in last year’s AFLW under-16 championships. Best player in last year’s Rogers Cup competition. Best player in the Rogers Cup the year before that as well. Best on ground in last year’s winning Rogers Cup grand final. Mia Russo makes the jump to seniors this season with one of the more impressive junior records in WA football. Powerful, quick and a clearance machine - there are a lot of people very interested to see how Russo goes in West Perth’s senior midfield this year.

OLIVIA WOLMARANS (Subiaco)

A raw key forward and ruck who seems to get better with every game, Subiaco’s Olivia Wolmarans made her senior debut last year but is set for even more responsibility in 2024. The 16-year-old is already 180cm and is one of the more exciting players in her age bracket. An All-Australian at under-16 level who also kicked three goals in two games for the under-18s, Wolmarans also has pace and a developing ground-level game which has plenty excited about her ceiling as a player.