The West Coast Eagles were thrilled with their selections in the 2025 AFLW Draft, and confident they will make an immediate impact, AFLW List Manager Jordan Loxley said.

The Eagles welcomed two new players to the nest, WA local Mia Russo and Victorian Jovie Skewes-Clinton during Monday night’s AFLW Draft.

Loxley was delighted to secure Russo and Skewes-Clinton with picks No. 20 and 36 respectively.

Russo is a powerful and competitive midfielder, impressing at stoppages with her ability to shrug off opponents, and can also push forward and hit the scoreboard.

“With our first pick, we were hopeful but a little nervous that Mia would still be available given the number of academy players in the mix,” Loxley said.

“Mia is a tough inside midfielder with an exceptional work rate and a real ability to impact games both around the contest and forward of the ball.

“She has the capacity to hit the scoreboard, which adds another layer to her game.

“Her leadership credentials speak for themselves, having captained both WA and the AFLW Academy, and that says a lot about the person she is.

“We love the way Mia goes about her footy — she plays with great competitiveness, intensity and an obvious will to win.”

Skewes-Clinton is a damaging and impactful forward, with impressive aerial presence and physicality in a contest.

“Jovie is a medium-to-tall forward who is strong both in the air and at ground level, and she consistently competes hard in one-on-one contests.

“She’s had games where she’s kicked multiple goals and shown her ability to be a genuine scoring threat.

“We see her primarily as a forward, but she’s also demonstrated the versatility to play down back if required.

“Jovie will provide valuable depth to our forward line, and we believe she’ll be a real asset to our group, not only with her football but with her infectious personality and energy around the club.”

Recapping the trade and draft period, Loxley said he’s happy with how the Eagles’ strategy played out.

“Overall, we’re extremely pleased with how the trade and draft period played out,” Loxley said.

“Our strategy was to bring in players who we believe can have an immediate impact while giving up minimal draft capital, and we were able to do that.

“Adding some late picks in next year’s draft also gives us valuable flexibility moving forward.”