SOUTH Australian State Under 18s Academy member Jemma Ellis just wants to become the best possible player she can be. The South Adelaide Women’s talent was recently included in the Academy and is looking to have more of an impact at senior level in 2022. Her football journey started not that long ago, and she has risen up through the pathways to get to where she is today.

“I started five years ago and the first ever team other than my local club at Yankalilla,” Ellis said. “I went to association football and that was in my third year of football. “Then I got selected after that to go to South in the women’s team, and then from there this is my second year now at South.”

Ellis said she has played as a ruck at local football, but her athleticism could also be utilised as a defender. Describing the role she’d like to play at South as a “jet”, it is commonly known as a high half-back, or offensive half-back.

Her goal in 2022 is to crack into the Women’s side, with the new Development League opening up opportunities for Ellis to don the South colours and work her way into the senior team. The Panthers are a club that Ellis has thoroughly enjoyed spending time at and developing through.

“It’s a great team,” Ellis said. “Everyone talks to each other, it’s very open, it’s good.”

From an individual perspective, Ellis is looking to sharpen her skills, whilst being able to maximise her athleticism, in particular her speed.

“Hoping to improve on my kicking, definitely,” Ellis said. “I’ve been trying to fix that one, get it perfect. “Strengths I’m pretty fast I would say. “But just kicking mainly to improve.”

As for her future goals, Ellis has set the bar at playing at the elite level, but understands the difficulty in getting there, so is setting herself the main goal of just improving her overall game.

“I’d really like to play AFLW because that would be amazing obviously,” Ellis said. “But I’d just like to improve to be honest. Try and be my best as possible.”