Richmond AFLW will unveil inside midfielder Charley Ryan against West Coast this Friday Night at Mineral Resources Park.
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The Tigers have locked in their line-up for the opening round of the 2024 AFLW season, with 20-year-old Ryan set to play her first game for the Club.
The debut is a long time coming for Ryan, who was selected by Richmond with its first pick (No. 38) in the 2022 AFL Draft from the Dandenong Stingrays.
She was touted as a potential top 10 draft pick, before an ACL injury ended her year and saw her unavailable for her first season at Tigerland.
Ryan, who can also play on the wing and go forward, then missed all of her second season at the level in 2023 due to a foot issue and glandular fever.
Missing from the Tigers' Round 1 side is Sarah Hosking (hamstring), Eilish Sheerin (quad) and Tessa Lavey (hamstring)
"Eilish pulled up sore in her quad after our practice match against Brisbane. In further assessment during the week, it has been confirmed she has a minor strain in her quadricep. She is back running and tracking really well. We are confident this will only be a minor set back in her start to Season 9," High Performance Manager Eliza Morrison said.
"Tessa had a minor incident in training on Wednesday last week that tweaked her hamstring. She is pain free now and we will continue to progress through her return to play to be available for Round 2."
Richmond will bring a strong side to Perth, with four out of the top five in last season's Best and Fairest, Monique Conti, Kate Dempsey, Katie Brennan and Grace Egan, all named to play.
Gun midfielder Ellie McKenzie, who recently signed a new two-year deal with the Club, will also make her long-awaited return to AFLW, after injuring her foot in the opening round of 2023 and missing the remainder of the season.
Exciting recruits Jodie Hicks and Ally Dallaway, who both arrived at the Club from GWS during the trade period, will play their first official games in the Yellow and Black this weekend, after impressing throughout the pre-season clashes through the backline and midfield respectively.
Friday night's game will be broadcast live on Channel 7 and Kayo Sports from 9:10pm AEST or 7:10pm AWST
