Fremantle have named a 28-player squad to take part in a practice match against Richmond on Saturday at Rushton Park.

The game will be the first official hitout ahead of Season 7, which kicks off in just three short weeks, with the practice match to be live streamed on fremantlefc.com.au from 12pm WST.

*The stream has now ended*

It will be the first opportunity for Fremantle’s recent draft crop to showcase their talent, with all five of the Club’s draftees - Madi Scanlon, Tara Stribley, Megan Kauffman, Amy Mulholland and Tahlia Read - participating in the match, as well as off-season recruit Nikki Gore.

Dashing halfback turned midfielder Philipa Seth also returns for her first hitout against an AFLW opponent since missing the entirety of Season 6 after injuring her ankle.

Irish recruit Orlagh Lally, who touched down in Perth on Thursday night, will also be in the stands at Rushton Park for her first look at an AFLW game on Australian soil.

Fremantle will take three top-up players into the match with Madizen Wilkins (Subiaco), Jae Flynn (East Fremantle) and Ashleigh Gomes (East Fremantle) rounding out the 28-person squad.

Senior Coach Trent Cooper said while some key names are missing, the practice match looms as an important opportunity for those in the squad.

“We’re going to use this opportunity to give our youngsters and draftees a really good chance to play at the level,” Cooper said.

“We also want to get some managed time into our existing players. We will be without Hayley Miller, who is on her way back from a minor calf strain, and Kiara Bowers and Sarah Verrier, who are in the Health and Safety protocols at the moment, as well as Kara Antonio who is starting her rehab process after her hamstring surgery.

It’s a really exciting time for our players to play together against opposition, particularly a really evolving team like Richmond who I expect will be challenging to play finals.

“We’ll experiment with different positions as well and it’s a good opportunity for the players to play with each other and get used to the minor tweaks to the game plan.”

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Cooper said he is excited to see Fremantle’s crop of fresh draft talent take to the field, with all five staking impressive claims over the pre-season.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing Megan Kauffman, she’s been really impressive this pre-season and she will play midfield and forward,” Cooper said.

“Amy Mulholland has had an interrupted preseason with a finger injury, but she’ll get a chance on the weekend to show what she can do, while Tara Stribley has been really impressive in her pre-season and we’re excited about her future with her speed and skills.

For Tahlia Read, this is her chance to play four quarters with the other forwards to press her claim, and Madi Scanlon who was our first selection in the draft has had a limited load after Claremont’s grand final win, but she’s been showing a fair bit across half back and we expect her to show her wares on Saturday in that position.”

FREMANTLE SQUAD
3 EMMA O'DRISCOLL
4 ANGELIQUE STANNETT
6 MADELEINE SCANLON
7 NIKKI GORE
8 DANA EAST
9 GABBY O'SULLIVAN
10 AINE TIGHE
12 EBONY ANTONIO
14 AMY FRANKLIN
16 TAHLIA READ
17 ROXY ROUX
18 PHILIPA SETH
20 TARA STRIBLEY
21 MIM STROM
22 AIRLIE RUNNALLS
23 MATILDA SERGEANT
24 SARAH WIELSTRA
25 MEGAN KAUFFMAN
26 BIANCA WEBB
28 MIKAYLA HYDE
29 JANELLE CUTHBERTSON
30 JESSICA LOW
32 LAURA PUGH
33 AMY MULHOLLAND
37 MADIZEN WILKINS (SUBIACO)
44 JAE FLYNN (EAST FREMANTLE)
55 ASHLEIGH GOMES (EAST FREMANTLE)