LAST week in the Northern Territory saw Team Ponter take on Team Baird as part of the AFLW Under 16 Development Championship.

One of the members of the victorious Team Baird side was Annabel Kievit, who was particularly impressive in the win. This Player Focus looks in depth at her performance.

Team Ponter 7.6 (48) def. by Team Baird 13.7 (85)
Player Focus: Annabel Kievet (Team Baird)

Stats: 25 disposals (18 kicks, 7 handballs), 4 marks, 8 tackles, 3 clearances, 9 inside 50s, 2 rebound 50s, 10 hitouts, 2 goals

FIRST QUARTER

Kievet began the game as a forward, but as Team Ponter got the early upper hand there was not a whole lot for her to do. When the ball made it down her end, Kievit was finally able to get involved.

While employed up forward, she took a strong intercept mark to set up her first shot at goal for the game. She showed quite a bit of power in her kick, and set sail from 40m. Her attempt almost made the distance, and if she had a little bit more height and power in her kick it would have crept through for a goal.

Though solid in the marking contest, Kievit preferred to wait on the outside of the pack to be that exit option for her teammates who dug in and under at the contest.

She moved into the ruck about halfway through the term, and she was certainly a powerful tapper of the ball. Her leap was not overly high, but the power she was able to put behind her tap was quite impressive, with many of those hits going to grass.

SECOND QUARTER

The second quarter was where Kievit really got her kicking boots on in front of goal, snaring two majors for the term.

Her first goal came from Team Baird’s very first inside 50 of the quarter, while her second was very different.  

Kievit was running into goal, sidestepped an opponent, kept running and slotted truly.

She again moved into the ruck about halfway through the quarter.

She provided a goal assist towards the back end of the term, and also proved how good she is at positioning and making sure she is in the prime position to be most useful for her teammates.

THIRD QUARTER

After a productive opening half, Kievit was little quieter in the third term. She did not have as many touches of the ball as she had in previous quarters, but still had her moments. Considering Team Ponter did much of the scoring early, you could hardly blame Kievit for struggling to get involved.

She moved into the ruck again midway through the term, and continued to display the power in both her tap work and her kicks, driving the ball inside 50 with penetration in attempts to hit up teammates further afield.

Kievit almost nabbed herself another intercept mark during the quarter to go with her one from earlier in the game, but dropped it.  

FOURTH QUARTER

As Team Baird started to assert dominance on the game, Kievit started to really make her presence on the game felt.

She started the quarter with an inaccurate shot at goal that resulted in a behind, but she kicked another major later in the game which was on a slight angle.

Kievit ventured into the ruck slightly earlier in the fourth quarter than she had previously, but one noticeable thing about her rucking in the last quarter, as she had been doing all game, was that while she was ruck she tended to roam between the 50-metre arcs.

Among her other highlights of the quarter, both positive and negative, was another intercept mark, before both receiving and giving away holding the ball free kicks.

Along with Emma Stark and Sophie Berry, Kievit was among the standout players afield across both sides, showcasing her promise as a potential high-end prospect out of the Northern Territory.