Geelong Cats have finalised their list for the 2024 AFLW Season, signing talented ruck Lilly Pearce.

Pearce, 21, steps into the squad for Olivia Fuller, who was placed on the Cats’ inactive list recently as she pursues a career with the Australian Defence Force.

The new recruit was on Richmond’s AFLW list in 2023, following a dominant season in the QAFLW, where she averaged 35 hit-outs a game and was often among the Sharks’ best as they finished the home-and-away season atop the ladder.

A talented sportsperson, Pearce has also competed at the national level as a heptathlete, and has carried her dominant tap work from the QAFLW to the VFLW this year, where she is playing for Collingwood.

The 186cm-tall ruck is second in the league for hit-outs with 230 (at an average of 33 per game), just 24 behind the leader despite playing three fewer games.

Geelong Cats Assistant General Manager of Football Brett Johnson said Pearce was a welcome addition to the program and would bolster the Cats’ ruck stocks.

“With Liv Fuller unavailable for this season, we were keen to add another ruck to our list, and Lilly Pearce is a great fit for us,” Johnson said.

“Lilly has been dominant in the ruck at state league level for a few years in both Queensland and Victoria, and she already has some experience in an AFLW environment from her time at Richmond.

“We’re looking forward to seeing Lilly continue to grow and develop her game at Geelong, and know she is going to fit in really well with our playing group.”

Pearce is the Cats’ fifth new player for 2024, following the signings of Bella Smith (via a three-way trade) and Kate Kenny (Other Sport Rookie) and drafting of Chantal Mason and Bryde O’Rourke.

The Cats 2024 AFLW pre-season begins on Monday 3 June.