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last mo.

AFLW’s 2006-Born Cohort Validates ‘Superdraft’ Hype With Immediate Round-One Impact

A decade of expanded pathways produced a ready-made 2006-born intake now treated as instant AFLW contributors.

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Overview

  • Fourteen of last season’s top 20 draftees played in Round One, with the AFL confirming 29 players from the 2006 class debuted across the league.
  • Sydney teenager Zippy Fish collected 26 disposals on debut to equal Brianna Davey’s all-time debut record, adding nine intercepts and 11 rebound 50s.
  • No.1 pick Ash Centra kicked a goal with her first kick and triggered the viral “Centra Bounce,” which spread from community fields to AFL men’s clubs.
  • West Coast forward Lucia Painter booted three goals on debut and was named the first 2025 Telstra AFLW Rising Star.
  • Selectors and senior players say this intake could define the season, with expectations for an unusually competitive Rising Star race and selection debates.