Hawthorn has taken a momentous step on its journey to the AFLW after the club’s first female player Bridget Deed committed to signing with the brown and gold.
The signing marks a moment of great significance for the Hawks who will enter the AFLW competition ahead of Season Seven at the end of this year.
AFLW premiership coach and now Hawks Senior Coach Bec Goddard and AFLW List Manager Mitchell Cashion are the other key appointments for the club so far.
A product of the Eastern Ranges in the NAB League Girls competition, Deed has also been a valued member of Hawthorn’s VFLW program where she has been able to progress her game immeasurably over the summer.
Standing at 168cm, the 18-year-old has been simply dominant throughout her opening four performances of the NAB League season, averaging just shy of 32 disposals and eight tackles per game.
CEO Justin Reeves said Deed’s arrival was a “hugely exciting development for the program”.
“We have been building some really strong foundations ahead of our launch into the AFLW competition,” Reeves said.
“But to be finally signing our first player today is another level of excitement and we think Bridget represents exactly the type of character and cultural fit that we want to build our list around.”
AFLW List Manager Mitchell Cashion said Deed had repeatedly caught his eye throughout the opening stages of her campaign with the Eastern Ranges.
“Bridget has performed at an extremely high level across the first month or so of NAB League,” Cashion said.
“She is a proven ball-winning midfielder who can impact the game both on the inside and out.
“She also uses it well, with her left-foot kick a clear strength of her game.
“We think she has huge potential so we’re looking forward to watching her development in our program.”
