Hawthorn has signed a trio of talent heading into its inaugural AFLW season, with Ainslie Kemp, Isabelle Porter and Catherine Brown all committing to the club.
Kemp first joined the AFLW in its inaugural season and went on to spend three years with Melbourne.
After overcoming three ACL injuries and being delisted by the Demons, the 25-year-old joined Hawthorn’s VFLW side in 2021 as a runner under Bec Goddard.
In 2022, she returned to play and made the leadership group, leading by example in defence with averages of 14.2 disposals and 4.3 marks from 10 games.
Hawthorn AFLW List Manager Mitchell Cashion credited Kemp’s determination in her path back to the elite level.
“Ainslie is a resilient person who drives high standards in the backline,” Cashion said.
“After a bit of bad luck with injuries, her body is now feeling good and she looks set for a big season anchoring our defence.
“We’re excited to see her take her game to the next level in the brown and gold come August.”
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Porter has had a stellar season in the Hawks’ VFLW side with averages of 15.4 disposals, 3.6 marks and 2.8 tackles across the 2022 season.
In Round 12, she racked up a season-high 29 possessions to go with nine marks and six tackles against one of the competition’s most dominant players in Essendon’s Georgia Nanscawen.
Prior to this, the NT product captained St Mary’s in the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) while fellow Hawks AFLW recruit Eliza Shannon was her deputy.
Cashion said it was great to add another NT product to Hawthorn’s AFLW list.
“Isabelle played her first VFLW game for Hawthorn in Round 6 and hit the ground running which really impressed us,” Cashion said.
“She went on to play every game after that in our home-and-away season and grew immensely as an elite midfielder through each performance.
“We’re proud to have her join fellow NT products Dominique Carbone and Janet Baird in the brown and gold this season.”
Brown played 32 games for Canberra United in the A-League Women’s competition before turning her attention to Aussie Rules in 2017.
In 2021, she was rewarded with a chance to play under Bec Goddard in Hawthorn’s VFLW team, making a name for herself as a running defender with the capability to win plenty of the footy.
This year, she returned to Canberra and is currently captaining Eastlake in AFL Canberra’s First Grade Women’s competition.
Cashion was delighted to give Brown another opportunity to don the brown and gold, this time at AFLW level.
“With a background in elite soccer, Catherine knows what it takes to succeed at the highest level,” Cashion said.
“She’s really made a name for herself in defence in just a short time playing for our VFLW side in 2021 but we are excited to explore her in a variety of roles.”
“Catherine is someone who we think he enormous scope for growth given her limited football background.”
Kemp, Porter and Brown join Bridget Deed, Zoe Barbakos, Sophie Locke, Dominique Carbone, Eliza Shannon, Tegan Cunningham, Tilly Lucas-Rodd, Akec Makur Chuot, Janet Baird, Louise Stephenson, Sarah Perkins, Tamara Luke, Jenna Richardson and Tahlia Fellows on Hawthorn’s inaugural AFLW list so far.
