Geelong have snared 2017 All-Australian defender Mel Hickey from Melbourne for their inaugural AFLW campaign.
Hickey is a relation of the late Reg Hickey, a former Geelong playing and coaching great whose name adorns a grandstand at GMHBA Stadium.
"Obviously my family has an amazing connection to the Cats, and this is a dream come true," said Mel Hickey.
"While I have always had a love for the Cats, ultimately it is the professionalism, vision and commitment that the club is already displaying that made this decision an easy one."
Hickey played 13 games for the Demons in the first two AFLW seasons, most of them as a key defender.
She is currently recovering from a serious knee injury but expects to be fit for the start of the 2019 season.
The Cats also announced the signing on Tuesday of three other ex-Demons - midfielder Richelle Cranston, former Geelong Supercats women's basketball captain Anna Teague and netball star Erin Hoare.
The 194cm Hoare - who represented the Melbourne Vixens and the Sydney Swifts as a netballer - played four AFLW games with Melbourne in 2018 in the ruck.
Geelong and North Melbourne will join an expanded 10-team AFLW competition in 2019.
