IT was quite a bizarre day at RAMS Arena, with all 12 teams coming together to face off in a fantastic ‘Super Saturday’ of matches. For the final AFL Draft Central TAC Cup Girls’ Team of the Week, we find the highest ever number of players from a losing side making the team. The Western Jets were well beaten by the Geelong Falcons, but their top three players stood out so much in the wet that they earned places in the Round 9 Team of the Week. Remarkably, their opponents, the Geelong Falcons also had three players in the team. Conversely, despite winning their match well, the Greater Western Victoria (GWV) Rebels had just the one player in the team – mainly due to the fact it was hard to split such an even contribution.

For Western, it was their highest number of representatives for the year, with regular nominees Elisabeth Georgostathis and Isabelle Pritchard and making the team for the fifth and fourth time respectively. But a fresh face to the team was ruck Taylah Kolevski who was ultra-impressive around the ground and at the stoppages in wet conditions. On the opposition side, Olivia Purcell collected her fifth Team of the Week nomination, joined in the side by Nina Morrison and Sachi DeGiacomi who are both no stranger to making the Team of the Week – both named four times.

Six of the remaining 10 teams had two nominees in the side, with Northern Knights’ Ellie McKenzie making a remarkable sixth Team of the Week – sitting third overall on most nominees. She is joined in the team by debutant in the side, Ashleigh Snow in the back pocket. Of the two with more nominations than McKenzie, they are fairly handy players in Madison Prespakis and Tyla Hanks – both making it eight out of eight games played. Their respective teammates at Calder Cannons, forward Georgia Patrikios and Power half-back Emily Haeusler have made it for the third and fourth time respectively.

In the back pocket is Sandringham Dragons’ Alice Burke who makes it for the third time, along with now two-time nominee forward Isabella Eddey. Rounding out the defence on the flank is GWV Rebels’ captain Lauren Butler who is the sole Rebel in a rather unlucky round given Rene Caris was one of many ruck choices in a week where plenty of key position players stood tall. But she was not the only one, with Sophie Molan also deemed impressive in the wet and would be an emergency in the round’s Team of the Week.

The remaining starting midfielder in the Team of the Week is Kodi Jacques, who for the first time is joined by fellow Bendigo Pioneers hard nut Megan Williamson. The pair have almost exclusively held a spot in the best 22 throughout the season, with Jacques (now five nominations) and Williamson (four) both impressing despite Bendigo’s loss to Dandenong Stingrays. Speaking of the Stingrays, Isabella Shannon returns to the Team of the Week, joining Courtney Jones, who is situated at half-forward, for their second and third times respectively.

Earning places on the bench in losing sides were talented trio, Eastern Ranges’ Mikala Cann (for the second consecutive week), Murray Bushrangers’ Tamara Smith (third time) and Chloe O’Malley (first time). Gippsland Power’s Jasmine Ferguson was the other unlucky emergency with Caris and Molan who just missed out on making the side.