Canberra United have signed Melbourne Victory championship defender Emma Checker for Season 8 of the W-League.

The central defender heads to the capital after young defenders Grace Field and Sally Rojahn informed the defending champions that they would be sitting out the season.

Although only 19 years old, Checker already has international experience under her belt as a member of the Matildas 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup silver medal winning squad.

At youth level, South Australian has also represented the Young Matildas at two AFC U19 Championships and gained a silver medal and bronze medal at the 2013 AFF Women's Championships and 2015 AFF Women's Championships, respectively.

Since moving to Victory from Adelaide United, Checker has also been a mainstay of the central defensive partnerships.

Checker will join the Canberra United squad this week as they continue their pre-season training ahead of their 18 October open against Brisbane Roar in Brisbane.