Monique Conti, Isabel Huntington and Chloe Molloy - all from Victoria - are the standout candidates, and given the Dogs have pick No.1 and No.4 in the draft (Fremantle have pick No.2 but will select a WA-based player), they will end up with two of those three future stars.

(In the AFLW draft players nominate which state's draft pool they wish to be in and can only be picked by teams in that state.)

The most likely scenario is that the No.1 pick will be either Huntington - a key forward who starred in the 2016 AFL youth girls national championships but missed 2017 due to a ruptured ACL - or Molloy, another forward who dominated the 2017 TAC Cup and VFLW with her goalkicking prowess.

At pick No.3 Collingwood are likely to select whoever the Bulldogs don't select at No.1, leaving Conti to the Bulldogs with their pick No.4.

Huntington is seen by recruiters and AFLW club officials alike as the tip for the No.1 pick but that is no certainty given Molloy's meteoric rise.

The other scenario would be that the Dogs picked Conti at No.1, forcing the Pies to choose between Huntington and Molloy, leaving the Dogs to take whoever is left over at pick No.4.

Conti (who also plays WNBL for the Melbourne Boomers) is a small midfielder with an eye for goal but it is understood the Pies are more bullish on selecting Molloy or Huntington.

GWS (pick No.5), Brisbane Lions (No.7) and Adelaide (No.8) like Fremantle will select local talent, most likely Haneen Zreika, Kalinda Howarth and Eloise Jones, respectively.

The forgotten gun Victorian of the top 10 in some ways is Darcy Guttridge, who could be chosen by Melbourne at pick No.6. She captained Vic Country and the under-18 All-Australian side with distinction and is a modern half-back interceptor type who can push into midfield.

It's also not beyond the realms of possibility that she is taken in the top three Victorian picks and that Molloy, Huntington or Conti could slip lower down the pecking order.

This draft will feature 18-year-old nominees from the AFL's inaugural women's academy (like Huntington, Guttridge and Conti). However, a greater percentage of the talent pool, compared to those who nominate for the men's draft, is made up of over 18 talent.

The 2017 women's TAC Cup - the first ever held - only went for five weeks, but plans are under way to make the competition longer ensuring that the quality of draft talent continues to rise.

2017 AFLW draft picks by club

Western Bulldogs: 1, 4, 11, 19, 27, 34

Fremantle: 2, 10, 18, 26, 33, 40, 44

Collingwood: 3, 9, 13, 20, 21, 35

Greater Western Sydney: 5, 17, 25, 39, 43, 47, 49

Melbourne: 6, 14, 22, 30

Brisbane Lions: 7, 15, 23, 31, 37, 41, 45, 48

Adelaide: 8, 16, 24, 32, 38, 42, 46

Carlton: 12, 28, 29, 36