The Sydney Swans have added more depth to their AFLW list build with experienced forward Aliesha Newman to join the club in its inaugural season.
Newman, a proud Indigenous woman of Ningy Ningy descent, joins the club having spent seven seasons playing at AFLW level with Melbourne and Collingwood.
“We are thrilled to welcome Aliesha to the Swans,” said Sydney Swans Executive General Manager AFLW Kate Mahony.
“Aliesha not only brings with her a lot of experience, but also high training standards, which is crucial to building success in a new team.”
Lexi Hamilton and Kiara Beesley will also join the red and white after putting pen to paper for the 2022/23 season.
Beesley has honed her skills in the QBE Sydney Swans Academy and plays for the Southern Power in the AFL Sydney competition, while Hamilton has played three games of AFLW with the Gold Coast Suns and North Melbourne, and in 2021 finished fourth in the Kangaroos VFLW best and fairest count.
“Kiara’s time in the QBE Sydney Swans Academy has given her a great understanding of the kind of hard work that it takes to become a professional AFLW player,” Mahony said.
“Physically Kiara’s attributes speak for themselves having set multiple draft combine records. We’re looking forward to watching her develop.
“Lexi has been waiting for the right opportunity to prove herself at AFLW level, and I believe she can do that with us. She is a tenacious player on the field, and I think she’ll be a great fit for the club.”
Aliesha Newman
Recruited from: Collingwood
Height: 163cm
DOB: 16/09/1995
Position: Medium Forward
Coach Scott Gowans said:
“Aliesha is an outside wing, half-forward flank who brings with her explosiveness and the ability to kick goals. She’s the type of player who takes the game on and breaks lines, which is the way we want to play footy.
“Aliesha is also a strong leader, and as an Indigenous woman she is eager to share her cultural background too. She’s done a lot of work designing Indigenous guernseys and boots, and overall is a great driver of furthering the game’s understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and culture.”
Kiara Beesley
Recruited from: QBE Sydney Swans Academy
Height: 172cm
DOB: 26/03/02
Position: Forward/defender
Coach Scott Gowans said:
“We’ve found a very talented athlete in Kiara, who also has a background in gymnastics. She is coming back from a knee injury, which shows resilience, especially as through the injury she taught herself how to kick on her non-dominant foot.
“Kiara is great in the contest and has very strong hands. As for where we will see her play, she is versatile player who can play back and forward, and eventually midfield as we develop her skillset.”
Lexi Hamilton
Recruited from: North Melbourne
Height: 180cm
DOB: 19/10/00
Position: Ruck/defender
Coach Scott Gowans said:
“Lexi is a versatile key position player who is very strong in the contest, and she’s deceivingly quick, especially considering her height.
“She’s a natural leader in that she really drives the positioning that you need, which is why I think she may play down back.”
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