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 North Adelaide.
RECORD: 1st (4-0)
RESULTS:
R1: defeated Glenelg by 24 points
R2: defeated Central District by 54 points
R3: defeated West Adelaide by 21 points
R4: defeated South Adelaide by 4 points
North Adelaide was clearly the standout team after four rounds having passed every challenge thrown at the Roosters in the four rounds. They comfortably had three wins to start the season, including against the dangerous West Adelaide, and then survived their biggest challenge in the grand final rematch. While the remainder of the season might be unknown, they more than proved themselves as a genuine title contender.
THE FORMER AFLW STAR:
Ashleigh Woodland (16.0 disposals, 3.8 marks, 4.0 tackles, 2.0. clearances, 1.8 inside 50s, 7 goals)
If we just focused on the potential ceiling of every player not currently tied to an AFL Women’s team in the competition this year, then Woodland’s could well be the highest of the lot. Her two games against Central District and West Adelaide were absolute A Grade quality, booting seven goals from 20.1 disposals, 6.0 marks (one contested), 2.5 tackles, 2.0 clearances and 2.5 inside 50s, averaging more than 100 Dream Team points from those clashes. While her other two games was less effective, she still applied good defensive pressure and showed what she is capable of playing between midfield and forward. She could have led the goal kicking off just about two games had she been accurate with four behinds to go with those seven goals too.
THE PREMIER KEY DEFENDER:
Kristi Harvey (12.3 disposals, 4.3 marks, 2.0 tackles, 5.0 rebounds)
In SuperCoach they have a term ‘set and forget’ and Harvey is one of those players that is the equivalent of that. By that we mean you just know she will play her role each and every week and it is one less to worry about on match day because she is rarely ever beaten. Her marking ability and composure under pressure is superb, and she was the equal top rebounder in the competition despite still having to play a negating role to nullify an opposition forward. She kept getting better throughout the season, and her final game against the Panthers saw her rack up 15 touches, eight marks (two contested), six tackles and eight rebounds in a standout performance under pressure.
THE EXCITING FORWARD:
Cristie Castle (17.0 disposals, 4.8 marks, 1.8 tackles, 1.8 clearances, 2.0 inside 50s, 3 goals)
There are no shortages of best and fairest contenders in this team, but Castle would likely be battling Harvey for pure consistency. She had double-figure disposals each week and made an impact through the midfield and up forward. She was one of the competition’s premier markers – in fact she led the stat – with 4.8 per game, including four contested marks that came in her first two matches. She added three more goals to her 17 career majors over the past two seasons, but also got further up the ground to have an impact.
THE CONSISTENT PERFORMER:
Lauren Daniel (17.8 disposals, 3.8 marks, 3.5 tackles, 3.3 clearances, 1.8 inside 50s, 1.8 rebounds, 1 goal)
One of the veterans of the team at 32-years-old, Daniel keeps plugging away in the midfield with great results. She averaged the 17.8 disposals, 3.8 marks, 3.5 tackles and 3.3 clearances having a real impact onball, and in her last three games did not dip below 17 disposals. Her best performance came against Central District where she had the ball on a string on her way to 23 disposals, four marks, seven tackles, six clearances, five inside 50s and a goal. At her best she leads the side by her actions and makes her teammates better around her.
THE RISING STAR:
Hannah Ewings (10.8 disposals, 2.8 marks, 4.0 tackles, 3.0 inside 50s, 3 goals)
A fresh face to the side this year, the 15-year-old certainly wasted no time in making herself known to the competition with a Breakthrough Player nomination in Round 1 during the win against Glenelg. Ewings managed to find a way to go to another level the next week with her best game of the season in the victory over Central District, raking up 17 touches, five marks – one contested – three tackles, a goal and a match-high nine inside 50s. While a little bit quieter in the final couple of rounds, it is clear Ewings is one to watch for the future as an exciting talent who has great development potential.
THE experienced one:
Leah Tynan (13.8 disposals, 2.3 marks, 3.3 tackles, 2.8 clearances, 2.3 inside 50s, 1.3 rebounds)
Another consistent performer who you can just rely upon to get the job done. She averaged the 13.8 disposals at 82 per cent efficiency, as well as a couple of marks, clearances, inside 50s and tackles across the board showing how impactful she can be in the front half. She only kicked he one goal, but she can play a multitude of roles, and provide extra experience to the younger players coming through. Still only 28-years-old herself, Tynan has managed 34 games in her time during the competition as one of the most durable players running around. Expect her to add many more to that total in the coming years.
SUMMARY:
Squeezing just six players into this piece is incredibly hard because there is a list of those who could have fit in. North Adelaide has a premiership-contending list, especially when the likes of Katelyn Pope, Kelly Barltrop and Amber Ward are among the next talents in line that are just as promising as those above. There is a reason the Roosters finished the short season undefeated and with plenty of developing talent coming through, it will be an exciting few years for the red and whites.
