AFLW premiership winner Renee Forth to play South Australian footy while deciding on future

When Woodville-West Torrens kick off the South Australian National Football League Women’s competition this year, they will have one of the Mid West’s finest and an AFLW flag winner in their ranks.

Buller River local Renee Forth said she would be playing in the State league and doing FIFO work to take some time out from AFL and determine whether she wanted to go back to the well in next year’s expanded competition or take on a new role.

“I didn’t put my name into (the AFLW) draft,” Forth said.

“I have been focusing on work and will play SANFLW. Then I will decide during the season if I give it another crack or just accept it and hang up the boots.”

Forth said she could have gone into a back-office role and still may do but would take a season to assess.

“I didn’t take the coaching roles that were offered as I didn’t feel ready to accept not playing,” she said.

“I’ll play at the Eagles and decide how much I’m willing to give to play footy at that level again, or if I just decide to be happy with what I’ve experienced and achieved.”

The addition of a proven winner is good news for the Eagles, who missed out on finals last season and finished bottom in the regular season, 12 points behind minor premiers Norwood.

A premiership player with Adelaide in 2019, Forth also has two WAFLW flags and captained Fremantle in the first women’s western derby.

She was a marquee signing for Greater Western Sydney and overcame an anterior cruciate ligament injury that ruled her out of the first AFLW season, eventually shifting to the Crows.

The Eagles start their SANFLW campaign against Sturt on February 5.

Essendon, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Sydney will be able to build their lists ahead of the 2022-23 season by signing up to 14 existing AFLW players in an expansion signing period, according to rules proposed by the AFL.

The clubs will also be able to pick up players as open-age signings if they have nominated for the AFLW draft and are not on a list, choose under-18 talent from their next-generation academy region, and take part in a sign and trade period as well as participating in the draft.

The expansion clubs will receive the first eight picks of the State-based draft and will receive remaining picks at the end of each round after the 14 existing clubs.

The AFL has said it will set final list build rules this year.