Hawthorn has bolstered its AFLW playing list with the commitment of Hawks VFLW duo Eliza Shannon and Tegan Cunningham.
Shannon has played nine games in the brown and gold so far with impressive averages of 15.3 disposals, four marks and two tackles per game.
The clever defender also plied her trade up north in the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL), representing St Mary’s on 10 occasions last year.
Hailing from Geelong, Shannon represented Vic Country twice and made both the Under 16 and Under 18 All-Australian teams in the same year before joining the AFLW Academy in 2018.
AFLW List Manager Mitchell Cashion was delighted to confirm Shannon’s commitment.
“Eliza has really impressed us with her competitiveness and work rate,” Cashion said.
“After stepping away from football for a few years, she has now rediscovered her passion for the game and returned better than ever.
“She is a very versatile defender who can play on tall and small players while winning the ball both on the ground and in the air.”
Cunningham returns to AFLW after playing 32 games for Melbourne and winning the club’s goal-kicking award twice in her three seasons.
In her first year out of the competition, the ruck/forward has suited up for Hawthorn’s VFLW team in the 2022 campaign on five occasions, averaging 16.8 disposals to go with 15.4 hit-outs.
Cunningham has also had a distinguished WNBL career spanning across seven seasons, which included winning a championship with the Dandenong Rangers in 2012.
Cashion was excited about Cunningham’s potential in the brown and gold this season.
“Her knowledge and experience during her time with Melbourne will make her a key asset to our program,” Cashion said.
“She’s an extremely competitive person who we think will drive high standards at our club.
“We’ve loved seeing Tegan’s role evolve as a ruck/ forward in the VFLW and look forward to seeing her continue that journey at AFLW level.”
Shannon and Cunningham join Bridget Deed, Zoe Barbakos, Sophie Locke and Dominique Carbone on Hawthorn’s growing AFLW list.
Stay tuned as the Hawks will be announcing multiple AFLW signings early next week as the club continues to launch towards its entry into the AFLW competition.
