SOUTH Australia’s top female footballers will be put through their paces tomorrow as part of the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) Women’s annual preseason testing day. Rookie Me will be hosting the athletic combine testing on behalf of the SANFL and feature all eight SANFL Women’s clubs throughout a busy Saturday afternoon in preparation for 2023.

Up to 400 athletes from the state league will compete across a range of tests, including the 20-metre sprint, AFL Agility, yo-yo and vertical leaps. The testing will run for the full day at Nazareth College, with a mix of aspiring AFL Women’s players and some of the top state league footballers in the country taking part. Given 2023 will feature both an Over-age Draft – in February/March – and a AFL Women’s Draft – for all ages – later in the year, next season will be a huge one for female football.

North Adelaide is the reigning SANFL Women’s premier, having defeated Sturt in last season’s decider to win its second flag in three years under coach Krissie Steen. The Roosters will kick off proceedings on the day, with all clubs getting a chance to compete in the full suite of tests.

As always, the Rookie Me Central team will be in attendance to interview up to 60 athletes from the competition and tell their stories over the next few months. With a variety of written, audio and video content, there will be no shortage of SANFL Women’s coverage in the lead-up to a massive 2023. With preseason underway at the clubs, all eight teams are back to square one and on a level playing field fighting for the title.

Among the 2023 AFLW Draft hopefuls who will have features include West Adelaide’s Lauren Young, Woodville-West Torrens’ Shineah Goody, Norwood’s Molly Brooksby, Central District’s Elaine Grigg and Glenelg duo Matilda Scholz and Piper Window. Additionally a number of over-age and mature-age players will speak not only on their journeys, but the hopes for their individual and club seasons ahead.

Keep an eye on Rookie Me Central for stories on some of the most talented South Australian female footballers.