IN a new exciting collaborative countdown, the Draft Central has teamed up with other independent media organisations to bring a 2022 AFL Women’s Top 50 Countdown. Every weekday from now until December 17, a new player will be named starting from 50th down to 1st, stemming from a combined eight Top 50 submissions. Among those who submitted Top 50s include Siren Sport‘s Gemma Bastiani, Women’s Australian Rules Football (WARF) Radio‘s Peter Holden, and a combined Outer Sanctum team’s Top 50.

Today we continue our countdown with number 49, Melbourne Women’s Tayla Harris.

Tayla Harris

Melbourne

League/s: AFLW

Season/s: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, S7, 2023, 2024

• Games [tot]: 68

• Goals [tot]: 61

• Disposals [avg]: 8.7

• Marks [avg]: 3.3

• Tackles [avg]: 2.3

• Cont. Poss: 5.5

• Uncont. Poss: 3.3

• Clearances: 0.4

• Inside 50s: 1.9

• Rebound 50s: 0.3

One of the most marketable players in the game, Tayla Harris has transcended just being a footballing role model, but also a person who has been a leading figurehead for women in sport, with the most memorable kick in the AFL Women’s. Possessing a powerful contested mark and a booming boot, Harris has been among the game’s better players since she was a teenager who was picked up by the Brisbane Lions. After a year in a Lions team that reached the inaugural grand final and Harris earned All-Australian honours, Harris headed south to take up a key forward role at Carlton.

There, she came out and booted a goal a game over the next three seasons, with 21 goals in 20 games, and averaging more than three marks per match as well, guiding the Blues to the 2019 decider, where again she would just fall short of a medal. Picking up a second All-Australian jumper in her first season for the Navy Blues, she also led the club goalkicking for two consecutive years in 2018-19. Unfortunately for Harris, 2020 did not quite go as planned for her of the Blues, booting just the four goals in eight games, and averaging six touches and two marks, the lowest averages of her five-season career.

Coming into the off-season, Harris was touted as one of the highest marketed free agents, and eventually Melbourne took the chance on the key forward, who is still in her prime at 24-years-old. Some might forget that considering she won a league best and fairest in Queensland back in 2012, when she was just 15. A talent who could be very well much higher on this list come year’s end, she is one who is a great acquisition for the Demons with the retirement of Tegan Cunningham and some great young talls coming through the program. Like our 50th ranked Ash Brazill, Harris found her way onto three of the eight lists, though one had her inside the Top 20.

DRAFT CENTRAL’S 2022 AFL WOMEN’S TOP 50

#50 Ash Brazill(Collingwood) | Article
#49 Tayla Harris (Melbourne)

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Picture Credit: Melbourne FC