AFTER a consistent 2022 West Australian Football League (WAFL) Women’s season with reigning premiers Peel Thunder, winger Jaide Britton produced the best game of her League career with an eye-catching 25-disposal performance in the win over West Perth.

Britton is not a name new to the West Australian footy circles, having captained the state’s Under 19 side at last year’s championships. There, she averaged 14.7 disposals, 3.0 marks, 2.7 tackles, 1.3 inside 50s and 2.0 rebound 50s. In what was her over-age season, Britton had continued her development from the year before – her top-age year – that was effectively curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Even still, the development was not enough to squeeze her way onto an AFL Women’s list.

Last year Britton was one of those players who did not really have too many flaws, but was also not as damaging as some of her traits may have suggested. With the rare endurance-speed balance that few players have, Britton set to work on improving both her skills and strength over the summer. Having a terrific Round 1 game, she has shown over the course of the season – even through an injury that saw her miss a week – that she has rapidly improved on her 2021 production.

As this week’s Player Focus will discuss, in her performance against West Perth, Britton has gone from not only a good decision maker and a reliable kick, to one who genuinely impacts games through both measures. Being a December birth, Britton also does not turn 20 until the last month of the year, so whilst not technically an “over-ager”, she is as close to be ing eligible as a 19-year-old player as one could be. Naturally, Britton still has areas to improve on, but largely are out of her control, with her contested work and versatility largely up to her role on the day.

At this point, Britton effectively is a full-time winger and has proven herself at the role, which is where she could move inside or go to half-back where with the latter, her traits of athleticism, decision making and skill could come to the fore. Twelve months ago she might not have been in our Power Rankings, but in 2022, she would be in the logjam of players between the 30-60 range, offering value for the future.

On the weekend, Britton hit a career-high (recorded) 25 disposals, and not only that, but was elite with her ball use, with 15 of her 18 kicks hitting targets directly, and 17 of them being effective. Nearly all of them were gaining distance, and if metres gained was a publicly recorded statistic, then Britton would have blown that up as well. We take a look at her full performance below in our Player Focus.

Peel Thunder, West CoastOutside Midfielder

Jaide Britton

Height: 165cm

Weight: -

DOB: 13-12-2002

Strengths:

Acceleration

Decision making

Disposal

Endurance

Impact-per-possession

Kicking consistency [reference to execution]

Outside game

Speed

Work rate

Improvements:

Contested work

Inside game

Versatility

Draft range: Pick 30-60

SEASON SO FAR

Averages: (7 games):

16.0 disposals
9.4 kicks
6.6 handballs
2.9 marks
2.9 tackles
3.0 inside 50s
1 goal

ROUND 10:

Peel Thunder 10.12 (72) defeated West Perth 0.2 (2)

Stats: 25 disposals (18 kicks, 7 handballs), 7 marks, 1 tackle, 3 inside 50s, 94.4% kicking efficiency, 92.0% disposal efficiency

QUARTER BY QUARTER:

First Quarter:

Britton started in her familiar role of wing as she did in each quarter. Her opponent was Lea Caccamo, though as like most weeks, the wingers often went their separate ways looking to sweep up the ball. Her first touch was a hardball where she was immediately tackled by two players and had to quick dish it out. Her teammates were able to mop it up, and soon she was in the thick of it again just two minutes into the match. She picked up a loose ball under pressure on the half-forward flank and looked to handball to Jade Briggs which was intercepted by Jessica Roper, but Britton put pressure on the young defender to force it out on the full. Her subsequent kick in from that out of bounds was an effective short kick.

Britton held a good line through the middle of the ground, offering herself as an avenue for a switch, and at the eight and a half minute mark of the term, she ran hard from half-back to get to the wing and kicked long to just inside 50 which was to her teammates. Britton kept running and followed up to apply pressure with an attempted smother which forced a turnover and a shot on goal. At about the 10-minute mark, Britton came to the bench for a rest, something that would be a trend through the match as a rotation midway through the terms.

When she returned, she was up against Molly Conroy, and soon got back into the action, running in to receive the handball, but a teammate just could not quite execute. Not dismayed, Britton ran in to apply pressure, won the ball and handballed it off running as part of the one-two but again the execution from the teammate was not pinpoint. Britton got back, won the ball and handballed a second time just as she was tackled, then laid a tackle – as a secondary tackler – herself at the next stoppage to lock the ball in. She finished her first term with a smart play to dart wide into open space, take a strong contested mark back with the flight copping contact, then nailing the short kick to a teammate on the wing.

By quarter time, she was up to six disposals, of which five were effective, and had laid a tackle, taken a contested mark and had an inside 50.

Second Quarter

Britton started the second term on the other wing and within the first minute showcased her smarts and evasion by stepping around the equally quick Megan Norbury. from there she produced an effective long kick to the top of 50 hitting a target, then ran forward to receive the handball and dish off a short effective kick. Working back into the defensive half of the ground, Britton won the ball at half-back, and with the opposition bearing down on her from the front, she showed good composure to take a few steps back and then assess her options, hitting up a short effective kick to the defensive side of the square.

A minute later, the Peel Thunder winger showed the difference between her 2021 play and 2022 play in one passage. Marking uncontested in the defensive 50, she recorded a rebound 50 and hit up an effective long kick to the middle of the ground. She kept running to receive the handball, produced a shorter kick that was effective – though not pinpoint it bounced into her teammate’s arms – and again received a handball as she kept running to then bomb it long inside 50 and hit a target. From the defensive 40m mark, she had run right to the top of 50 with three touches in one passage, emphasising her work rate and ability to impact the game in metres gained.

Another clever play came in the sixth minute when Britton picked up the loose ball inside 50, but rather than blaze away and have a flying shot on goal, opted to hit a neat pass in board after spotting the free Ebony Dowson at centre half-forward. She continued to work hard and get free in the corridor, even if her running was not always rewarded. Her next touch was an effective handball to a teammate after a rest, picking it up cleanly off the very first stoppage and giving it off. She laid an effective tackle which followed up from an attempted smother to force a turnover shortly before.

Finishing the quarter with a few more pressure acts and forcing a turnover, Britton recorded eight disposals – and 100 per cent efficiency – with one mark, one tackle, one inside 50 and one rebound 50.

Third Quarter

Starting the third term back on Conroy on the wing, Britton worked well back into the defensive half of the ground to force Jess Roper to kick after the teenager tried to step around her. Though Roper got her kick away, Britton did well to avoid her opponent taking grass. The Peel Thunder teenager took an uncontested mark at the two-minute mark of the term, and had her first disposal, with an effective short kick to the top of 50. Taking on Chloe Smoker on the wing this time, Britton continue her high work rate to run up and down the corridor even though teammates opted to go long down the line.

In the eighth minute of the term, Britton bumped an opponent at half-forward to force a turnover and then move forward to mark uncontested. From there, she produced a perfect pinpoint pass to Kira Phillips one-on-one in the goalsquare who marked and goaled, handing Britton a direct goal assist off a long effective kick. She almost had another goal assist a minute later when she came off the wing to receive the handball, gave it off to a teammate effectively and applied a shepherd, then ran 30m to mark uncontested and kicked perfectly for Kate Bartlett to mark, but the set shot uncharacteristically missed.

At the 11-minute mark Britton came off for another spell, then returned for the final two minutes of the quarter. She kept a good line, and then was able to pick up a tricky loose ball and give off the short kick in the middle having spotted a teammate free in space. She copped a bump but despite that, still got the ball to her teammate’s advantage, then ran hard to receive the handball and gave off another handball herself.

In the third term, Britton picked up six disposals, three marks – one contested and one inside 50 for the term.

Fourth Quarter

Though with the lop-sided margin it would be easy to rest up a bit in the final term, Britton still managed another five disposals and two marks. She started on the wing against Caccamo, and within the first minute received the handball. After 14 straight effective kicks, Britton had her first ineffective kick, cruelly due to an unlucky bounce. Unlike a similar kick during her run in the second term that bounced marginally in front of her teammate and into their arms, this kick that bounced just in front of them sat upright and a running West Perth player read it well to intercept. To Britton’s credit she ran hard to provide cover in the back 50, and even won the ball at half-back before being immediately tackled.

In the fourth minute of the term, Britton took another uncontested mark with her opponent being nowhere near her, and then she produced a pinpoint effective long kick to the middle where it was straight to Bartlett. She took another uncontested mark in the middle of the ground and pinpointed an effective short kick. A couple of minutes later she was very unlucky not to be the target after finding space at the top of 50, but instead the play from teammates was to kick long to the pocket to a one-on-two. Her unrewarded running was just as important as what she did with the ball, offering herself up for a handball to teammate Ebony Bilcich on the wing, and also providing good cover if a shepherd was required.

In the 10th minute of the final term, Britton came off for a rest, then returned a few minutes later to run out the game and collect her last couple of disposals. She received the handball in the middle of the ground and kept running to put the ball to the top of 50 for another effective short kick. Though only credited with three inside 50s, Britton had managed a number of passes to just outside 50.

Closing Thoughts …

Jaide Britton produced a mighty impressive game, and whilst it could be argued the high majority of her touches ere on the outside, that is exactly the role she plays at Peel. Though naturally seeing her inside capabilities would be the next step, she has proven that even under pressure with opponents closing her down she can hit targets, and her decision making has also improved in 2022. From a draftability perspective she has showcased the weapons she has always had, but is now able to have an impact on the field. With still quite a few games left in the season – and of course Peel Thunder aiming for their third consecutive flag – there is plenty to play out for the rest of the season. But one thing is for sure, if Britton can maintain the level she did against West Perth for the season, then watch out.