IN a new weekly piece on Rookie Me Central, we hone in on those players to remember for the AFLW Draft, present and future. With four new AFLW clubs joining the competition, spots will heat up, and players will be looking to put their best foot forward. For this piece, we have looked at those players who might not be catching the headlines, but are worth both clubs and fans keeping an eye on. Here’s what we took out of the NAB League Girls, WAFL Women’s and SANFL Women’s.

PRESENT (2022 AFLW Draft)

Briggs back to her best

Peel Thunder has been a haven of success the last two years, with their story of rising from a wooden spoon in 2019 to win the 2020 West Australian Football League (WAFL) Women’s flag, then going back to back last year. Though not quite in the same form – having snapped a three-game losing streak on the weekend to bounce back into the top four – one name to remember as a potential mature-age prospect is talented left-footer Jade Briggs.

Best known for her work at half-forward, Briggs was a player who came through the State Academy program. Though she represented West Australia as a bottom-ager at the 2019 AFLW Under 18 Championships, Briggs’ top-age rule was the devastating 2020 year, and the 172cm forward-midfielder was ruled out – like so many others – of competing at the national championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic cancellation. Luckily her form with Peel Thunder – where she won a flag in 2020 – showed enough that Fremantle took her onboard as a train-on player.

Briggs started the season well for the Thunder as they looked to defend their premiership, but then disaster struck and Briggs did a stress fracture in her trusty left foot, making her unable to kick or run. She had only played the five WAFL Women’s games in 2021 before having a line put through her season. Now back at full fitness, Briggs is again putting her hand up and remaining recruiters that she has a bit about her to be considered at the top level.

Taking out a quiet game against East Fremantle – where realistically the entire team struggled – Briggs has 17.3 disposals, 3.0 marks and 6.3 tackles playing as a half-forward who pushes higher up the ground, and sets up her teammates more so than scores herself. But that still came to fruition on the weekend, when she slotted three goals in Peel’s massive win over West Perth. Briggs amassed 23 disposals, six marks, nine tackles and four inside 50s to go with her five scoring shots.

What makes Briggs a draftable prospect is her ability to be a team player, but still win plenty of the ball herself. She has a strong left boot, and competes well in the air and at ground level. Though not possessing the speed of some others, she has enough versatility and footy IQ to play inside or outside, or as that pressure forward. Overall, Briggs is still a teenager – she turns 20 next month – and with her foot stress fracture firmly in the rear view mirror, is a player who should receive attention.

Mon goes Ham

Though she has had no shortage of impressive games not just in 2022, but in the three years leading up to it, Western Jets star Montana Ham saved her best for the biggest stage, the NAB League Girls Preliminary Final. Ham racked up 29 disposals – including 20 contested possessions – seven clearances, nine tackles and seven inside 50s in a standout best on ground performance. Her work allowed partner-in-crime Charlotte Baskaran to play behind the ball at times and use her decision making and skill to best advantage her team, whilst Trinity Skenderis and Stephanie Asciak played their part in a strong midfield.

Ham will look to light it up against Dandenong Stingrays in the 2022 NAB League Girls Grand Final tomorrow night when the Jets look to embark on their first ever club premiership. The male program came close to flags back in the early days of the then-TAC Cup, with back-to-back grand final losses in 1992-93. Now the female program has a massive opportunity, albeit against raging favourites, the undefeated Stingrays. Western will head in as underdogs, and that is just how the Jets will like it. Whether Ham can reproduce her preliminary final heroics again is yet to be seen, but she certainly came to play under lights last Friday night.

Mature-age mids continue to shine in SA

It might sound like a broken record, but the mature-age talent in the SANFL Women’s is certainly stepping up. With Port Adelaide coming into the league, there are more opportunities for readymade prospects, and though we have mentioned a number in the past through these articles, there are two who continue to produce the goods. They are Glenelg’s Jessica Bates and Central District’s Shelby Smith. Their seasons have been remarkably consistent as a whole, but both put up career-high numbers on the weekend.

In Glenelg’s loss to Norwood, Bates had 34 disposals, four marks, seven tackles, seven clearances, four inside 50s and four rebound 50s. Though there are more potent users of the ball, it is hard to deny Bates’ impact on a match. She gets to the right spots time and time again, and is really good between the arcs. She has a high work rate, can either hit the scoreboard or set others up, and play just about any role on the field. Naturally, she has a high defensive attitude too, and could easily play as a stopper at the top level.

Smith is the Bulldogs captain who for the past three seasons has not put a foot wrong. Accumulating a trophy cabinet full of accolades in just a short space of time, the number one put up 32 disposals, two marks, 15 tackles, six clearances, five inside 50s and three rebound 50s. One cannot help but think had she been afforded the opportunity and run at it 15 years ago, what might have been, but she is making up for lost time at the top state league level. Averaging 21.4 disposals, 3.7 marks, 8.4 tackles, 4.4 clearances and 2.4 inside 50s in 2022 and only having one game below 15 disposals and three below 20, Smith is as consistent as they come. Like Bates, there might be more potent users, but Smith’s contested side and defensive attitude, as well as work rate and sheer desire to not lose a single contest really stands out.

Second (or third…) chance saloon?

Though the Present and Future piece usually only focuses on non previously listed AFLW talents, it would be remiss not to acknowledge the likes of North Adelaide’s Jessica Edwards and Peel Thunder’s Kate Bartlett‘s efforts on the weekend. Edwards put a whopping 46 disposals in the Roosters win over Woodville-West Torrens Eagles, whilst Bartlett slammed home eight goals from 12 scoring shots against West Perth. Former Carlton played Edwards is one of the top ball-winners in the SANFL Women’s and could be an easy immediate pickup for Port Adelaide – or even the Crows – for the upcoming AFLW season. Bartlett has had stints at both the Western Bulldogs and West Coast, and whilst they have not quite worked out as hoped, she is clearly too good for state league level, and perhaps a club may throw a third lifeline to the 22-year-old.

FUTURE (2023 AFLW DRAFT AND BEYOND …)

Norbury shines in heavy defeat

It is not easy to step up in a 118-point defeat, but West Perth winger Megan Norbury certainly caught attention with her game for the Falcons against Peel Thunder. Norbury accumulated 17 disposals, four marks and 10 tackles in the loss, and was best afield for the losing side. Though not a high inside 50 user – mainly due to the ball constantly being up the other end, Norbury wins her touches from her high work rate to run into the back pockets and often receive from kickouts, or be the option to run out of the defensive 50. She has footy smarts and a lot of athleticism – mainly her breakaway speed. She is an Under 16s talent who is not draft eligible until 2024, so a name to keep in mind.

>> MEGAN NORBURY WAFLW PLAYER FOCUS

Gaylor caps off year with massive performance

One player who may have flown under the radar a touch this season given her team had a real even contribution across the board, is Calder Cannons midfielder Amy Gaylor. The 170cm bottom-ager really caught the eye with her work on the inside, and she has some neat tricks that include evasion and footy smarts. A highly-contested player, Gaylor crashes into packs and wins a lot of her touches on the inside, but when she can get to the outside, is effective enough with ball-in-hand.

Against the Northern Knights in a Repecharge game on the weekend, Gaylor racked up 33 disposals, five marks, four tackles, four inside 50s, two rebound 50s and slotted a goal. In her 10 games this season, Gaylor has averaged 17.6 disposals, 7.3 tackles, 2.3 inside 50s and 2.1 rebound 50s. Not a huge marker normally, Gaylor showed signs in that final game, and will be a player to remember for the Cannons next year.