GEELONG has cut five players from its list as it starts preparing for the 2020 AFLW season.
The Cats, who were beaten in a preliminary final by eventual premier Adelaide, have announced the re-signing of 24 players but also confirmed they had released Hannah Burchell, Mia-Rae Clifford, Elise Coventry, Maighan Fogas and Hayley Trevean.
Ruck Erin Hoare had already been confirmed as a departure. She will be in England studying on scholarship next season.
“With four new clubs entering the AFLW competition in 2020, we had a strong focus on ensuring we maintained the bulk of our list,” AFLW operations and recruiting Manager Ben Waller said.
“We are pleased to have reached agreements with 24 players and look forward to the continued development of our list.
“Inevitably at the end of every season, we see players move on. Hannah, Mia-Rae, Elise, Maighan, Erin and Hayley have all been significant players for us over our journey in women’s football, and they should be proud of the contributions they have made to the club.
We wish them well in their future endeavours and hope that they can continue on their football journeys. They will always be important to our club, and we hope to see them at GMHBA Stadium in the future.”
Clifford played every game for the Cats, while Fogas played in the opening round win over Collingwood but didn’t appear again, and Burchell debuted in the final round and also was part of the preliminary final team.
After missing Round 1, Hoare finished with seven matches under a belt.
Coventry suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in the practice match against Carlton and along with Trevean, who also battled injury, were the only two members of the list not to appear at AFLW level.
Twitter: @tom_king79
