Montana Ham has become the first female player to be taken at Pick One from the EDFL after being selected by the Sydney Swan's in last night's AFLW Draft.
Ham joins former number one pick, Cam Raynor, as historic first selections from the EDFL.
Ham was one of five former EDFL players taken at last night's 2022 AFLW Draft.
Beginning her junior career at Hillside in the under 10s, Ham joined the Keilor Football Club where she played 86 games over seven years including two senior games in 2021.
Ham was a League best & fairest winner in the Under 10's Mixed Division 3 competition back in 2014 and represented the EDFL on numerous occasions at Interleague level, claiming best-on-ground titles along the way.
More recently she received the honours of Vic Metro MVP at the NAB AFLW Under-18 Championships, selection in the Under-18 All Australian team and was named best afield for the NAB AFLW Academy side in its clash against an Under-23 All Stars team.
Fellow EDFL junior and Western Jets teammate Charlotte Baskaran was taken eight selections later at Pick Nine, joining the Hawthorn Football Club.
Baskaran and Ham were premiership teammates this season for the Western Jets, a side that Baskaran had the honour of captaining.
Baskaran was also named captain of the NAB League Girls Team of the Year and was runner-up in the competition’s best and fairest award.
The Aberfeldie product was another who proudly represented the EDFL at Interleague level throughout her junior career.
One of Baskaran's Aberfeldie teammates from the 2021 AGA Apprenticeships Plus Under 18.5 Women's season was taken at Pick 55 when Abbey McDonald had her name read out by Geelong.
McDonald spread her junior career out across stints at Abers but more predominately at the Sunbury Kangaroos and Sunbury Lions.
McDonald made a name for herself at the Calder Cannons as a tough and determined defender with a strong football IQ allowing her to get versatile in a number of different roles.
With Pick 62, the Essendon Football Club selected Amelia Radford.
Radford made her senior debut last season for Moonee Valley at age 25 and immediately caught the eye of onlookers.
She took out the Club's senior best-and-fairest award for 2021 after playing seven games and kicking 15 goals before being snapped up by Essendon to play in this season's VFLW team.
Radford displayed her prolific ball winning abilities averaging 21.5 disposals a game in the Bombers' undefeated run this season and will the don the red-and-black this weekend in the VFLW Grand Final to be played at ETU Stadium.
And with the second last pick of yesterday's draft Tahlia Read was selected by the Fremantle Dockers.
As recently as Round 6 this season, the Maribyrnong Park junior was playing senior football for the Lions after taking out the Calder Cannon's best and fairest award in the NAB League competition.
Read was the recipient of last year's AGA Apprenticeships Plus Under 18.5 Women's Best and Fairest in the EDFL and will now realise her AFLW dream at the Dockers after being born in WA and growing up a Freo fan.
The EDFL congratulates all of last night's draftees and wishes them the best of luck in their AFLW careers.
