Meet the AFL WAGs set to cheer on their beaus at the Grand Final

Richmond will go head-to-head with the Geelong in this year’s hotly-anticipated AFL Grand Final on Saturday. 

And while fans are counting down the hours ahead of the showdown between two of Victoria’s biggest clubs, no one is more excited than the glamorous wives and girlfriends of AFL’s biggest stars. 

And from glamorous bikini models and businesswomen to entrepreneurs and Instagram stars, the Cats and the Tigers have some of the hottest and most successful AFL WAGs – perhaps befitting their status as AFL super clubs.  

RICHMOND TIGERS  

Lainey McIntyre, girlfriend of Dion Prestia   

Lainey McIntyre has been dating Dion Prestia for over five years. 

Originally from the Gold Coast, the business and journalist graduate works as a model and influencer.  

In 2013, the glamorous brunette was named an ‘Active Living Advocate’ by fitness brand Lorna Jane, and in an accompanying interview spoke about her love for sport and competitive spirit. 

‘I was involved in team sports all throughout my schooling. In grade 11 I injured my ankle pretty badly playing netball, tearing all the ligaments. This ruled out sports that cause strain to my joints and so alternatively I took up training at the gym with my mum,’ the then 19-year-old said. 

‘It became pretty addictive, using workouts that were designed to change the shape of my body as well as just keep generally fit. It’s nice to be able to see your progress, as well as feel it on the inside.’

Lainey describes her self as ‘moral, friendly, loud and excitable’ and she regularly travels overseas to work as a camp counsellor at American summer camps. 

‘It’s absolutely gut wrenching to be apart from the person you love for months at a time,’ she wrote in a post to Dion recently.

‘I don’t know how I got so lucky to find this guy, who makes me smile this big every day, while giving me the most selfless support and encouragement to go about my journeys.’

Brooke Cotchin, wife of Trent Cotchin 

Brooke and Trent met while they were at school, and in 2013, the pair married in a stunning ceremony in Flinders, Victoria. 

They share two daughters together – Harper, five, and Mackenzie, four.  

Brooke, an Instagram influencer, who also runs a designer sock brand, previously said that the key to a good marriage is ‘supporting each other’.

‘The way we live our life is that whatever one of us is investing their time in, we both are. We feel as though that’s a real strength in our relationship,’ she told Health Lab.  

Brooke made headlines in 2016 when she took to Instagram to publicly defend Trent when his team leadership had been criticised in the media and by fans.

‘Every week you go out and give your all. To have to listen to the constant criticism you have had to put up with especially of late has been incredibly hard,’ she wrote.

‘Those closest to you know just how dedicated you are to your football club and teammates on and off the field. As a wise man once told me “People’s opinions are none of our business”.’ 

The post was slammed by the public, but Trent defended his wife.

‘I think she just sees what other people are saying or thinking outside of our four walls, and then obviously our family and friends,’ he told Channel Nine at the time.

‘But the reality is criticism doesn’t just affect the people it’s said about, it’s the people that care about them as well.’

Hayley Cook, girlfriend of Toby Nankervis 

Hayley Cook has been dating Toby Nankervis for more than five years. 

The health science graduate, from Launceston, Tasmania, regularly attends her beau’s games and posts photos of Toby cuddling up to the dog they share together. 

It appears the striking blonde splits her time between her hometown and Melbourne, and during their downtime the pair enjoy trips to Queensland and idyllic beachside locations.

Toby often posts photos of Hayley to his own Instagram account, prompting fans to urge the young AFL star to take the next step and propose.

While it’s not clear how the pair met, it seems as though they have a long happy future ahead of them. 

Olivia Burke, girlfriend of Tom Lynch 

Also barracking for the Tigers on Grand Final day will be Olivia Burke, girlfriend of Tom Lynch.  

Olivia, 26, who works as a marketing executive at Crown Resorts, has been dating Tom for two years.  

The loved-up couple live together in Melbourne and share an adorable dog named Gryff. 

A woman of many talents, Olivia is also the owner of a popular jewellery brand and often uses her growing social media presence to post photos of herself modelling her own designs.  

The brunette regularly attends Tom’s games and posts loving tributes to him on social media. 

While she may appear to lead a perfect life on Instagram, Olivia previously warned fans that social media photos don’t always reflect reality. 

‘What you see on social media is someone’s highlight reel, and I think people need to remember that,’ she told The Herald Sun last year.    

Carly Reiwoldt, wife of Jack Reiwoldt 

Carly Reinwold and husband Jack met as children growing up in Hobart, Tasmania. 

The pair became childhood sweethearts and eventually went on to marry in November 2017 during a lavish ceremony in Tasmania’s Freycinet National Park.

They welcomed their first child together, a daughter named Poppy Klara, in March 2019.   

A graduate of Monash University, Carly works as an independent organisational development consultant, providing guidance to companies on how to improve efficiency and revenue growth.     

She also enjoys philanthropic activities such as raising funds for Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision, a bone marrow failure charity dedicated to Jack’s late cousin Maddie Reiwoldt.   

Unlike many other WAGs, Carly isn’t a fan of sharing glamorous selfies on social media, preferring to post family photos instead.  

GEELONG CATS

Mardi Dangerfield, wife of Patrick Dangerfield   

Mardi and 2016 Brownlow Medallist Patrick Dangerfield met while they were in high school school and in 2016, married in a lavish ceremony at the Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria.

The long-time couple share son George, three, and daughter Felicity, one. 

While her husband is known for his sporting prowess, Mardi has an impressive resume herself. 

The mother-of-two works as an occupational therapist and mummy infulencer, boasting almost 37K followers on Instagram. 

Mardi, whose father is City of Greater Geelong councillor Bruce Harwood, also hosts The Significant Others podcast, where she regularly interviews fellow WAGs about their lifetime experiences.     

Emma Hawkins, wife of Tom Hawkins   

Emma Hawkins is perhaps one of the most recognisable Geelong WAGs, boasting a whopping 118K followers on Instagram. 

The blonde bombshell met her husband Tom Hawkins in high school, with the youngsters officially sparking romance in year 12.    

They married in 2016 and have two daughters, Arabella, four, and Primrose, two.   

In recent years, the WAG has found success as an Instagram influencer, media personality and founder of a children’s clothing brand called Homegrown. 

According to her talent agency’s website, Emma is a ‘hands-on lifestyle authority is renowned for her cry-with-laughter humour and practical nous.’  

Emma is also known for wearing racy cleavage-baring outfits on the red carpet, having made headlines for her busty blue frock at the 2019 Brownlow Medal.   

Last year, Emma made headlines when she spoke about her experiences with body shaming during an episode of The Lady Bunch – an online talk show also starring Rozalia Russian, Rebecca Harding and Elliot Garnaut.

During the episode, Emma revealed to her co-hosts that she’d recently received a shocking text a friend sent her by mistake saying she ‘must be amazing in the sack’ to date an AFL player. 

‘I wrote back going, ‘The weirdest thing is, I’m pretty sure I’m terrible in the sack!” she mused.   

Brit Davis, wife of Joel Selwood 

A stunning model and special needs teacher, Geelong Cats caption Joel Selwood’s wife Brit Davis appears poised to take Rebecca Judd’s title of ‘queen of the WAGs’.

Brit and Joel in January this year, tying the knot at an elegant ceremony held on a private property just outside Geelong in Victoria.  

Guests at the event included a selection of Joel’s current and former teammates, including Patrick Dangerfield and his wife Mardi and Corey Enright and his partner Renee. 

The glamour couple met through mutual friends in 2015, and announced their engagement in August 2018.   

Brit is known for her glamorous red carpet outfits and impeccable sense of style. 

She boasts almost 70K Instagram followers, and often uses her social media page to promote products and share photos of herself spending quality time with her husband.    

‘Joel is an extremely caring and a really loving person,’ she told The Geelong Advertiser in 2015. 

‘But he always makes me smile by doing something ridiculous to make me laugh. And he makes my breakfast every morning. He’s a good man.’   

Demi Duncan, wife of Mitch Duncan  

Glamour couple Demi and Mitch Duncan married in February 2019 after a long-term relationship. 

Demi, who shares daughter Scarlet, three, and son Oliver, 11 months, with Mitch, is a social media influencer with almost 18K followers on Instagram. 

She is also the co-founder of baby bottle brand MISSTA, which claims to be ‘the world’s first bottle that makes formula feeding safe, simple and stylish.’   

Jordan Papalia, wife of Gary Ablett Jr. 

Jordan Papalia is a model, social media influencer and former part-time actor.

She and Gary Ablett Jr. began dating in 2013 and went on to tie the knot on New Year’s Day in 2016. 

The lovebirds are parents to one-year-old son Levi, who is fighting a rare and degenerative illness which has never been named. 

The couple shared the news of their son’s condition on Instagram in July, with Gary thanking fans for their support in an emotional Instagram post. 

‘We thank you for your love and support and want to emphasise just how grateful we are to be Levi’s parents,’ he wrote.

‘He is a true blessing to us and our family and we love him so deeply. Anyone who knows him knows how full of joy he is and how he always has a smile on his face.’  

Shortly after Gary’s post, Jordan uploaded an open letter to her son on Instagram, writing: ‘To our dearest Levi, words will never be enough to express just how full our hearts are of love for you.’ 

‘You’ve only been with us for a short while but you’ve already taught us more than some people learn in a lifetime.’ 

Jordan also tragically lost her mother Trudy to lung cancer in August this year.