Cat Phillips and Jacqui Vogt have informed the club they will pursue playing careers at an expansion side for the upcoming AFLW Season.

Phillips played 24 out of a possible 25 matches for St Kilda after a previous 13 appearances for Melbourne, co-captaining the red, white and black in its first two seasons in tandem with Hannah Priest, Kate Shierlaw and Rhi Watt.

The 30-year-old placed third in St Kilda’s 2021 AFLW Best & Fairest – her highest standing in Saints colours – prior to this year’s fourth-placed finish.

Vogt, a product of St Kilda’s VFLW affiliate the Southern Saints, lined up for 17 matches after being selected with pick No. 40 at the 2020 National Draft.

“Cat and Jacqui have played important roles for the club over the past few seasons,” Head of AFLW Tessie McManus said.

“Cat’s leadership and tenacity have been instrumental during our formative years. The work she has done behind the scenes for women’s football is greatly appreciated by her teammates and those across the competition.

“Jacqui has always given her all while in club colours and her journey to earn a place on our AFLW list is something she should be incredibly proud of.

“Both players have been valuable members of our program and we wish them well for whatever the future holds.

“As has always been the case, our focus remains on developing our current list while dealing with the impacts of expansion. We are confident we have the right personnel on and off the field in the right roles to take this team forward.”

Phillips and Vogt follow Tilly Lucas-Rodd in departing the club to join an expansion side.