WITH no football on given the current COVID-19 global pandemic, the Draft Central team takes a look at where the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) Women’s left off, and will examine each of the eight teams from reverse ladder order. Today’s team summary is West Adelaide.

RECORD: 3rd (2-1-1)

RESULTS:

R1: defeated Sturt by 21 points
R2: defeated Glenelg by 40 points
R3: lost to North Adelaide by 21 points
R4: drew with Norwood

West Adelaide had a promising start to the season with back-to-back big wins in Rounds 1 and 2 before falling to an undefeated North Adelaide outfit in a respectable loss. The Round 4 draw with Norwood meant the side finished the four rounds in third, well within reaching distances of the top two teams, and no doubt one of the big finals contenders had the season kept going.

THE MIDFIELD DUO:

Rachelle Martin (18.0 disposals, 1.0 marks, 7.0 tackles, 5.0 clearances, 2.0 inside 50s)

Martin returned to the SANFL Women’s After having a taste of the AFL Women’s competition as a replacement player for the Adelaide Crows, where she went back to her ball-winning ways for the Bloods. She was consistent as any player in the competition, racking up five clearances a game across each of the matches, while laying a whopping seven tackles per match to rank inside the top 10 for both statistics, as well as disposals. Though still young herself at 21-years-old, she help guide teenager Abbie Ballard through the midfield as the pair wrecked havoc on opposition onball brigades.

Abbie Ballard (18.3 disposals, 2.0 marks, 4.0 tackles, 4.0 clearances, 2.5 inside 50s)

The younger of the midfield combination at just 17-years-old, Ballard had an eye-opening Round 1 performance against Sturt where she racked up a competition-high 27 touches. She also picked up nine clearances, five marks (one contested), laid four tackles and had three inside 50s in a clear best on ground performance. While her numbers after that were not as huge, she still performed strongly and worked hard on the inside to burrow in and win the ball, not afraid of taking on opponents bigger than her 159cm height. Like Martin, Ballard finished in the top 10 in disposals and clearances.

THE DOMINANT KEY FORWARD:

Melanie Elsegood (6.0 disposals, 2.8 marks, 1.0 tackles, 9 goals)

The most consistent goal kicker in the competition would benefit from a strong onball brigade and Elsegood’s ability to kick multiple goals a game with consistency is a massive plus for the Bloods. She booted nine goals in four games, and unlike some who might have one out-of-the-box performance, Elsegood had a day out of three goals against Glenelg in Round 2, and booted two goals each in the other three matches. She is not a huge accumulator of the ball as a stay-at-home forward, but she averages 2.8 marks per game, one of which is contested. If the season went the full length, Elsegood would naturally be a huge contender for the leading goalkicker honour.

THE FUTURE STAR:

Keeley Kustermann (13.3 disposals – 79 per cent efficiency – 1.8 marks, 1.8 tackles, 1.3 inside 50s, 3.5 rebounds)

Considering she only played her first four games this season, it is hard to believe that Kustermann is only 15-years-old. The defender wasted no time announcing herself on debut with 14 disposals, two marks, three tackles, three inside 50s and three rebounds, and then settled into defence for the remaining three games while being able to drift up the ground at times. She had a season-high six rebounds from 12 touches in the loss to North Adelaide as one of the standout players for the Westies, and to think she still has a couple of years left before she is eligible to step up to the elite level is something very exciting for the Bloods fans.

THE AFLW TALENT:

Madison Newman (19 disposals – 100% efficiency – 4.0 marks, 1.0 tackles, 1.0 clearances, 5.0 inside 50s, 4.0 rebounds)

Given her AFL Women’s commitments, it was only one match that saw Newman return to the SANFL Women’s, but she made it count. Coming into the side against Norwood, Newman was slick as usual with an elite 100 per cent efficiency with her disposal from 19 touches, as well as four marks, five inside 50s and four rebounds playing on the outside and using her run and carry to advantage. With the game on the line late, Newman was able to use her calm head to get rid of the ball out of the defensive 50 and get it moving in transition as the Westies charged late. It might have ended in a draw, but without Newman helping out in defence, it likely could have been a loss.

THE BREAKOUT PERFORMER:

Zoe Venning (16.3 disposals, 4.0 marks, 2.5 tackles, 2.0 clearances, 2.3 inside 50s)

Another exciting teenager, but in her second season of SANFL Women’s, Venning is a midfielder who had a breakout year – or half year – one might say. After single-digit disposals throughout her debut season until the last fortnight, Venning started 2020 where she left off in 2019, and did not drop below the double-digit disposals again. Against North Adelaide, Venning racked up 25 disposals, six marks (two contested), three clearances, two inside 50s and three rebounds in the best game of her career. She will be another to watch next season to see if she can continue to grow and develop in the side.

SUMMARY:

West Adelaide is similar to Sturt in many ways with both sides having an array of young talent coming through the ranks. The likes of Kustermann and Venning have been terrific finds this season in their first and second years respectively. With a strong midfield, reliable defence and dangerous forward line – not discounting the impact that Kasia Culhane can have down there – the Bloods are ones that could be a sneaky chance for next season’s flag.