An exodus of talented youngsters is set to continue among the Carlton AFLW outfit, with midfielder Grace Egan set to trade navy blue for Richmond's yellow and black.
The 21-year-old, who was recruited from Richmond's VFLW side, reportedly told Carlton on Thursday night she would be returning to Punt Rd during the upcoming sign and trade period - according to AFL.com.au's Riley Beveridge and Sarah Black.
Richmond had the first option to sign Egan as they built their list ahead of their inaugural season in the competition in 2020 but passed, allowing the Blues to take her with pick 13 in the 2019 AFLW Draft.
The news comes less than a fortnight after star duo Madison Prespakis and Georgia Gee committed to playing for expansion side Essendon.
The shuffling of the deck chairs has also hit the coaching staff, with club legend Kade Simpson appointed to a new position of Head of AFLW Development.
Simpson played 342 games in the navy blue before moving into coaching.
He has held assistant coaching roles in both the club's AFLW and VFL programs, while he also stepped into a coaching position in the AFL program earlier this season when senior coach was sidelined due to the AFL's health and safety protocols.
Simpson's is a newly created role, which will allow him to work on the individual development of every player in the program while also assisting AFLW senior coach Daniel Harford - who recently signed a two-year extension at the helm.
This newly-created role will allow every Carlton AFLW player to access individualised training beyond the existing training program, that will focus solely on their personal development as Carlton footballers and Carlton people.
In a statement, Simpson said he understood the importance of the role and was excited about what it means for women's football.
"For the Club to have the foresight to identify a need for this role to help take our program forward is a strong statement of intent for how invested we are in helping this group of players reach that next level we know they are capable of," Simpson said.
"Our goal is to ensure our players have access to every level of support they require to become the best Carlton player they can possibly be.
"The mentality to get the absolute best out of yourself in every moment you walk through the doors of the football club is going to hold our program in great stead as we step into an exciting new era of AFLW."
