By Jonty Ralphsmith
Eight products of 2024 Outer East premiership-winning club Pakenham have made the cut for Gippsland’s girls side in 2025.
Vic Country forward Abby Hobson, tenacious bottom-ager Ava Deszcz, vice-captain Jayda Tannahill, defender Ash Perkins and the skilful Bonnie Williams all played in the Lions 2024 triumph.
Fellow Power squad members Rebecca Fitzpatrick – part of the Vic Country summer hub – bottom-ager Mia Smith-Clark and former Nar Nar Goon ruck Maya Crestani also crossed to Pakenham in the off-season.
“Rick Stalker and Courtney Stephens (Co-Coaches), are attentive to the girls programs, which makes it easy to bring quality players in because they enjoy their time there,” Gippsland coach Nathan Boyd said.
“They’re doing well in promoting safe and happy spaces for the girls to play and it’s been consistent too – they’ve had the female program roll for an extended period of time and success is always a drawcard.
“They’re clear with communication which ensures we get opportunities to put (games) into the girls while allowing Pakenham to get access to their players.”
A strong midfielder-forward, Fitzpatrick is among the most promising players on the Power list, selected alongside Hobson as one of four Gippslanders to make the cut.
Hobson is set to be a prime mover in the forward line and has improved her fitness after averaging a goal per game in the 2024 Coates Talent League.
The Lions are the equal-most represented club on the list with Warragul Industrials in the 30-player squad.
Among those is Chelsea Sutton, who Boyd highlighted as having one of the best preseasons of the group.
“Chelsea has come back super fit,” the coach said.
“She is doing a lot of stuff we haven’t seen in terms of mobility.
“Her overhead marking is coming along as a small/medium forward.”
The other Dusties on the list are overagers Lilly Leighton, Shanelle Kingston and Charlize Dent, forward-turned-defender Addison Howe, bottom-ager Jamie Chapman, Stella Kittlety, and Tia Jenkins who comes from a netball background.
Leighton received a state combine invite last season with draft interest coming late in the season for a tough ball-winner forced to bide her time behind now AFLW-listed pair Ash Centra and Jas Sowden.
She is also listed with Collingwood’s VFLW side.
“For Lilly, it’s an opportunity to come back and have some more opportunities to be a ball winner” Boyd said.
“We want to showcase that ability which we know she has and she’s powerful and athletic in the contest so hopefully she starts the season well.”
Leighton’s Dusties teammate, Dent, will share the ruck duties with Crestani, who is part of the Vic Country summer hub.
Berwick’s Zahri Burn, who featured as a ruck last season, is another who will return as a 19-year-old, alongside her commitments with VFLW side Casey, but she is set to play in defence.
In a much deeper and more even squad than 2024, there are plenty of others to keep an eye on, including: Vic Country rebounding defender Ella Stoddart, smooth-moving bottom-agers Grace Dillow and Lilly Milner, Nar Nar Goon’s Shae Langley and the quickly-improving Melissa Diggerman.
