GOALS were raining down on North Hobart Oval as Tasmania Devils beat the Bendigo Pioneers by 106 points on Sunday. Setting the tone for the hosts’ big win was bottom-age forward Georgia Clark, who was one of two Devils to boot four goals in an ominous display.

Having turned out for eight games in her debut NAB League Girls campaign last year, Clark has gone on to play as many in 2022 and is now the centrepiece of her side’s attack. With 13 goals this season, she has the third-most overall and second-most in her region. We put her Round 9 performance under the Player Focus microscope this week.

CollingwoodTall Forward

Georgia Clark

Height: 173cm

Weight: -

DOB: 11-12-2005

Strengths:

Contested marking

Defensive pressure

Endurance

Forward craft

Kicking penetration

Strength

SEASON SO FAR

Averages: (8 games) 15.8 disposals, 4.6 marks, 4.1 tackles, 3.1 inside 50s, 2.5 hitouts, 1.6 goals (13)

It is fair to say Clark has feasted on weaker opposition this season in a goalkicking sense, with her two hauls of four goals coming against bottom Metro side, Northern in Round 5, and against a weakened Bendigo outfit this past weekend. Clark’s Round 5 performance earned her Player of the Week honours, but was arguably eclipsed by her latest effort.

Impressively, the bottom-ager has ticked over 20 disposals four times in 2022, playing mostly as a true centre half-forward but also spending plenty of time deep inside 50 and even swinging to defence. She has been kept goalless just twice in eight games, but managed at least a minor score in each of those outings. With another year left to develop her craft, there is already a lot to like about Clark.

ROUND 9:
Tasmania Devils 16.17 (113) def. Bendigo Pioneers 1.1 (7)

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER:

First Quarter

In one of the most dominant first quarter performances all season, Clark ended up with three goals from five scoring shots and 10 disposals. In what was a tone-setting 20 minutes, the 16-year-old kicked the game’s opening major after six minutes and added two more in the final three to consolidate Tasmania’s devilish start.

In typical fashion, Clark worked right up the ground to help her side link in transition, but two of her goals came from less than 10 metres out. She was found all alone over the back twice, making for easy marks and conversions into the open goalsquare.

Her third goal was clearly the most impressive, as she contested from behind to bring a long kick inside 50 to the deck, used her strength over the ball to work her opponent off balance, before gathering and sending the ball home from about 35 metres out.

With some great showings of strength aerially, at ground level and in forward 50 ruck contests, Clark returned a complete tall forward’s quarter and made her work count on the scoreboard. Two 40-metre set shots missed, and could have made for an even bigger term.

Second Quarter

Clark’s goalscoring sway came to a halt in term two, but that did not mean her overall output shut down. Now with gun 2006-born prospect Lucia Painter for company, Clark had two early opportunities to kick goals but could not quite convert either.

The first chance saw her benefit from a lucky bounce which beat Painter at the top of the 50, as Clark gathered and sent a long kick towards the hot spot which bounced through for a behind. She earned her second shot by outreaching two opponents just outside the goalsquare, clunking a two-grab mark overhead. Placed on an acute angle, the right-footer opted for an awkward drop punt and missed across the face of goal.

What stood out for Clark thereafter was her ability to position well behind the ball when Bendigo was in possession, reacting first to intercept. She found much more of the ball up the ground in term two, displaying her clean hands with the play in dispute and flicking out handballs to teammates.

Second Half

With much of her own damage dealt in the opening half, Clark only added one more behind after the main break and looked to get others into the game. As was the case in term two, she showed good awareness to get into holes when Bendigo possessed the ball, and reacted first on long kicks from either team to chime in for marks.

She almost added a couple of goal assists inside 50; one play saw her again gather over the back, but miss a handball to Bellah Parker in the goalsquare, before she took the ball directly out of a forward 50 throw-in and handballed off for a shot on goal. Neither major score was to be.

Clark also notched her fourth behind for the day, a set shot from close range which perhaps showed signs of fatigue. Her strength hadn’t wavered all game, but that final piece of conversion just escaped her. Fittingly, she notched the final kick of the game after a free kick in the centre square.