Two Calder Cannons talents were selected in Monday night’s AFLW draft.
Kayley Kavanagh was the first to go of the pair, with the West Coast Eagles selecting the inside midfielder with their second pick of the night.
Kavanagh had an outstanding year averaging 25.3 disposals, 4 marks and 8.3 tackles from her 11 matches.
The 18-year-old’s super season was recognised with the midfielder taking out the Meg McArthur medal, for the Cannon’s best and fairest player.
When Kavanagh wasn’t dominating for the Cannons, or Strathmore at a local level, she was applying her craft for Vic Metro where she took out the most valuable player award following the state carnival, which was again recognised with All Australian honours.
“Kayley is an inside midfielder who really knows how to find the footy and is also a tough competitor. She comes from a basketball background, accumulates a lot of the ball and has enormous upside,” West Coast’s AFLW list manager Jordan Loxley said.
The second Cannon to go of the night was Keilor local Sarah Grunden.
Grunden was taken just two picks after Kavanagh, landing at the Sydney Swans with pick 16.
The medium forward impressed in her debut season in the Coates Talent League, after moving across from the Western Jets.
Following a dominant start to the year, Grunden’s standout performance came in Round 11 which saw her finish with 17 disposals, five marks, four tackles and two goals.
Grunden’s form across the season earned her selection with Vic Metro playing in the AFLW 2023 Under 18 Girls Championships, before going on to play in the Under 23 All-Stars side.
Senior AFLW coach Scott Gowans said Grunden would be a fantastic addition to the Swans attack.
“Sarah is a half-forward that can use both sides of her body which was really important for us,” said Gowans.
“I could see her developing and maybe move into the midfield, but she is definitely a half forward that is exciting. One of my big things is score assists and score involvements, and she definitely does a lot of that.”
“We just liked the way she uses the ball, she has a beautiful kick and makes great decisions forward of the centre, and that’s an area we feel we want to double down in and be really good at.”
