No.1 pick Gabby Newton is the centrepiece of a draft bonanza that the Western Bulldogs hope will spark an AFLW revival under new coach Nathan Burke.
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The Northern Knights midfielder was the first player picked at Tuesday's draft meeting at the Melbourne Showgrounds and the first of seven new Bulldogs.
The impressive haul included four of the first nine players taken as well as Isabella Grant, the daughter of club great Chris.
"It's absolutely crazy ... I can't believe this day has finally come and I'm so happy to be a part of the Western Bulldogs," Newton said.
"I was hoping (to go No.1) but I wasn't sure.
"My whole family is so excited, it's been such a long lead up, so for them to have me so stressed out all the time it's good for them that I've finally been drafted."
The Bulldogs, who finished bottom of Conference A last year, obtained the first pick when Monique Conti was traded to expansion club Richmond.
Their raid on the cream of the draft crop included Newton's Knights teammate Nell Morris-Dalton (No.6), Oakleigh Chargers midfielder Gemma Lagioia (No.8) and Western Jets captain Elisabeth Georgostathis (No.9).
Carlton pounced on Geelong Falcons midfielder Lucy McEvoy, the cousin of Hawthorn's Ben McEvoy, with the second overall selection and Brisbane used the No.3 pick on Maroochydore midfielder Lily Postlethwaite.
"I couldn't be happier," McEvoy said.
"I was really impressed by Carlton from the beginning ... they made me feel really welcome.
"They even did a photoshop of me in a Carlton jumper for one house visit and I thought that looked pretty good."
Maggie Gorham from Belconnen went to GWS at pick No.4 with St Kilda landing winger Georgia Patrikios from the Calder Cannons with the fifth overall selection.
Patrikios, who was named player of the AFLW under-18 championships, was touted as a possible top pick after a very strong year with the Cannons.
Millie Brown (daughter of Paul) also joined Geelong as a father-daughter pick.
In a surprise move, former Collingwood and North Melbourne forward Moana Hope withdrew her nomination on the morning of the draft and will take the season off before attempting to rekindle her stalled career in the VFLW.
Richmond pulled a surprise of their own when recruiting manager Lauren Tesoriaro, who played 11 games with Collingwood, drafted herself with pick No.96.
In another quirky move, West Coast drafted their own social media manager, Kate Orme, at No.70.
The AFLW draft differs from the AFL men's draft in that players can nominate the region that they are eligible to be selected in due to the competition's part-time nature.
Australian Associated Press
