THE West Australian Football League (WAFL) Women’s competition resumed for Round 2 on the weekend and we took note of some of the top State Academy players to run out for their respective teams, as well as some other mature-age players who impressed.

East Fremantle:

#7 Georgie Cleaver

The AFLW Academy member competed through the ruck and showcased the athleticism that earned her a place in the national squad. The Sharks tall showed good pressure at ground level and enough smarts around the ground to keep the ball in front of her. Though still raw and only laying the one tackle, her intent was there and she finished with the nine disposals and six hitouts. Her only kick was a bit of a scrubber forward inside 50, but her hands in close were more effective.

#29 Natasha Entwistle

Making her debut as a member of the Under 16s State Academy squad, Entwistle was clean with ball-in-hand and able to make decisions quickly. Often having to go up against the more experienced Stribley at times, Entwistle showed strength by standing up in tackles and was able to give off and go.

#38 Zippy Fish

Another Under 16s talent making her debut at League level, Fish starred at Under 17s level as a 14-year-old last year, and looked like a dangerous forward. Showing some real excitement when the ball was in her area, Fish was able to nail a goal with a brilliant kick off the outside of the boot, and showcase he speed and kicking across the game. When under pressure she sometimes rushed her handballs, but that will come with more experience at the level.

#48 Alli Nokes

Continued her solid season last year with a competitive first-up effort. Nokes is a tough defender who can play on the wing or even further afield, and it is obvious she hates to lose a contest. Sometimes she can be a bit scratchy with her disposal, but when having time and space she can hit up the short pass, and it is her defensive attributes and strength that really emerges in her game.

Swan Districts:

#2 Tara Stribley

The talented winger covers immense amount of ground when on-song and she has a lot of “almost moments” that could elevate her game to the next level with a touch more composure. Once she is off and running, Stribley is hard to stop, and she just blows away opponents in her first few steps. There was one instant where she ran inside 50, did all the hard work after receiving the handball, but had the opportunity to take a shot and had to quickly handball as she ran too close to an oncoming opponent. Another snap in the third quarter missed to the right, and generally she looked like one of the most dangerous players on the field right up until the last second. If she can iron out that composure by foot then watch out.

#6 Tyla Fitzgerald

Hitting the scoreboard in her second game, Fitzgerald received the ball from Ashley Sharp and ran into an open goal to not only kick a beauty, and draw the Swans within a point. She runs in transition and uses quick hands, whilst also cracking in at the coalface. Fitzgerald is happy to go in hard, but able to also find space and create in the front half of the ground.

#7 Emma Nanut

The defender played an aggressive offensive role running off half-back. When having time and space she was able to use the ball over short distances, and was easily one of the more prolific accumulators in the first half. Nanut seemed to fade out in the second half, but showed some great second efforts when required, mopping up in defence and often booting the ball long down the wing to clean any danger.

#11 Jaime Henry

Though not as prolific as other games, Henry still impressed throughout the contest. She attacks the ball hard at ground level or in the air, and early in the game, beat two opponents to cleanly handball to Nanut. She nearly never loses a contest, either winning or breaking even, and though she had a rare fumble late in the second term, she showed good recovery skills to give it off cleanly. A great technical kick, Henry has high-level footy smarts and is able to create her own space in congestion.

#14 Abbygail Bushby

An exciting, raw talent that could do plenty of special things once everything clicks. Bushby played forward early and was able to win the ball at the start of the second term, spin and thump it inside 50 off the left. Not needing a lot of touches to do damage, Bushby got on the end of one with a couple of slick plays in the third term. A pinpoint pass inside 50 came first, then moments later on the half-forward flank, Bushby picked up the loose ball from a free kick and played on, charging to 40m and slamming it home.

Others:

Swan Districts captain Jessica Cox stepped up from game one to game two and had a much greater impact in the middle, whilst the raw talent of Isabella Edgley is someone who will continue to develop year-on-year.

Peel Thunder:

#22 Kaitlyn Srhoj

A really promising prospect with some good upside, the bottom-ager improved from game one to game two. Srhoj is a raw talent who takes the game on, and though she can make some mistakes, her willingness to throw herself at the contest and is not afraid of tackling bigger bodies. Srhoj did well across the ground to win it both on the wing and from half-back, often having to dispose of it under pressure. Though sometimes she mistimed her kicks, her off-the-ball work and clean hands – emphasised by her strong intercept mark midway through the second term – are some of her standout attributes.

#29 Jorja Haines

Another raw talent who is still an Under 16s talent, Haines reads the flight of the ball and knows where to be inside 50. She had a number of good chances, albeit under pressure snaps, but her hard work paid off in the final term when she kicked her first goal. Though it was one of the easiest she will probably kick in her career – getting the cheap handball from Kira Phillips in the goalsquare – Haines more than earned it with her repeat running to contests and attack on the ball.

Others:

From a State Academy perspective, Emily Gunton and Megan Bain both played, the latter in her debut game. Gunton finished with the 10 disposals and two marks, whilst Bain recorded three disposals and two tackles, also rewarded with three free kicks. Peel has a number of names to keep in mind for the AFLW Draft, with Jaide Britton (20 disposals, four marks, six tackles and eight inside 50s) recording more marks and inside 50s than anyone else on the ground, and also kicked a goal running hard on a wing, whilst Jade Briggs finds plenty of the ball and can be a link-up player from midfield to the forward 50.

South Fremantle:

#1 Noa McNaughton

The dangerous small forward kicked the game’s first goal with a clever snap around her body. Though her next touch did not come off cleanly, McNaughton continued to look dangerous when the ball was in the vicinity. She had a couple of chances in the match, but was dragged down and put under pressure before she could get a kick away. When she won the ball further afield, she showcased quick hands.

#9 Lauren Wakfer

The AFLW Academy talent had a bit more of a challenge than the opening week, but still showed her talent, being one of the better Bulldogs players on the day, and a standout tall across the board. She kicked two goals, one in each of the first two quarters, with a nice pickup off the deck and then snap around her body for the Bulldogs to go 13 points up. She kicked her second out of a stoppage with a brilliant passage of play, and then when through the midfield, Wakfer almost acted as a “fourth midfielder” with her follow-up and ground level work. She had a snap on goal early in the final term but missed to the right. Overall, the athletic tall certainly had some eye-catching moment. Remarkably she laid eight tackles to go with her 11 hitouts, 11 disposals and two gaols.

#10 Aaliyah Ugle

Ugle returned to the Bulldogs side and found a fair bit of the football, though tended to just rush her touches. She had a big third term that really caught the eye, and has quick hands when in possession. Though not everything when her way, she seemed to get into ball-winning positions and certainly was not afraid to have a crack.

#13 Tanika Bradley

The hard-running wing was fierce in her defensive pressure and really stepped it up from the week before. Balancing between the need to run the ball in transition and kick forward, Bradley’s tackling was in full flight with a remarkable defensive effort throughout, and had a nice run inside 50 early in the match. It was not perfect with a bounce that did not go to plan, but Bradley had time to recover and still kick inside 50.

Subiaco:

Others:

Though there were no State Academy members again this week, Nyra Anderson had some flashy moments including a nice burst in the first term, whilst Jayme Harken is still only 26-years-old and could be a readymade replacement for a side at the top level given her ability behind the ball or through the midfield.

Claremont:

#9 Emily Elkington

A clean talent with some good offensive and defensive traits, Elkington’s first kick went out on the full, but it did not deter her. Though not quite as clinical by hand as her first game, Elkington laid some fierce tackles, and could have had a shot midway through the third term after some handballs but opted to pass it on. She was able to use her strength at ground level to lock the ball inside the attacking 50 late in the third term, then in the fourth term, won it at both ends of the field, with a nice clean pickup at half-back, followed by a kick to the wing. By the end of the match, she had racked up 12 tackles to go with her nine disposals.

#36 Mackenzie Webb

Improving from Round 1 to Round 2, Webb was able to get into more ball-winning positions against the Lions, and intercept on a number of occasions. She showcased a lovely kicking technique to a contest on the wing in the second term, and positioned herself well when awaiting the restarts at centre clearances, which included an intercept mark off the first one in the final term.

Others:

No doubt Ella Smith will feature most weeks, but the inside midfielder just keeps putting out consistent performances. Katherine Bennett also caught the eye at half-forward.