St Kilda Football Club will secure its second father-daughter signing at Wednesday’s NAB AFLW Draft, with the club committing to recruit defender Caitlin Matthews.
A member of the club’s Sapyen Father Son/Daughter Program, the 18-year-old becomes the fifth new player to join the Saints ahead of Season 7 after Nicola Stevens, Erin McKinnon, Grace Kelly and Clara Fitzpatrick.
Matthews’ father, Dean, played one senior game for St Kilda in 1995, meeting the eligibility criteria for a father-daughter signing under the current AFLW rules.
St Kilda will use one of its draft picks at next Wednesday’s AFLW Draft to officially acquire the future Saint, with the bidding window from opposition clubs closing this morning.
Able to play as a tall and small defender, the Oakleigh Chargers recruit earned NAB League Premiership honours in 2021 and represented Vic Metro Girls earlier this year.
“We’re really pleased to commit to Caitlin and have her officially join us as a Saint next week,” Head of AFLW Tessie McManus said.
“Caitlin is a promising young talent who will add a great deal to our backline in the seasons to come and will sit comfortably within our core of developing talent.
“While Caitlin comes to us as a father-daughter selection, we look forward to seeing her carve her own path while in red, white and black.”
Matthews follows Alice Burke in coming through the club’s Sapyen Father Son/Daughter Program, with the latter playing 13 games after making her debut in 2021.
