FOOTBALL

AFLW EXPORTS

BY BLAKE METCALF-HOLT

 

GIPPSLAND extended its top league football representatives at last week’s AFLW Draft.

A total of three Gippsland Power players were scooped up, while a Latrobe Valley legacy name was added under father-daughter.

Traralgon’s Chelsea Sutton was the first to be picked on Monday, December 15, taken at Pick 32 by St Kilda.

Sutton was delivered the news like everyone else, watching the draft proceedings from the comfort of her home alongside family and friends.

“When my name got called out, I was pretty relieved but I was quite emotional (and) cried a little bit … it was happy tears,” she told the Express.

“I’d had a few interviews with different clubs, obviously I didn’t know where I was going on the night, I didn’t know if I was going to go at all because anything can happen on draft night.

“I was super happy to get my name called out and I can’t wait to get started at St Kilda and get down and into preseason.”

Sutton played four seasons at Power, with 2025 being her breakout year, winning Gippsland’s best-and-fairest and earning her first selection to Victoria Country at the AFL National Championships.

The speedy mid-forward said that the last 12 months have been a real “awakening” in pursuing a professional football career.

“I unlocked a whole new motivation, knowing this year was the biggest year yet and how hard I had to work for those dreams to come true,” Sutton said.

“I had a new look on everything and when I made Vic Country, I was like ‘if I keep going the way I am, I could have a real chance here.’

“So, ticking off the small boxes and goals I had (made) for myself and slowly ticking them off throughout the year (and) I began to get more and more confident.”

Sutton joins fellow Traralgon export Darcy Guttridge and Power teammate Abby Hobson (from Koo Wee Rup), who was taken by the Saints 10 picks later.

Wonthaggi’s Baia Pugh was drafted at Pick 54 to Richmond.

Lastly, Maya Dear, daughter of the late Churchill legend Paul Dear, was picked up by Hawthorn as the club’s first-ever father-daughter selection in its history.

As a more mature aged player taken as a 21-year-old, Dear comes from a predominant basketball and netball background, where she most recently was playing NBL1 for Sandringham Sabres.

Dear joins brother Calsher, carrying on their father’s name in the brown and gold, with the son having already played 26 games for the Hawks in the last two seasons.

It was recently announced that Calsher would be donning Paul’s number 13 going forward, having previously worn 35 on his back.