IMPRESSIVE bottom-age AFLW Draft prospect Havana Harris made quite the impact on debut for Bond University, booting four goals in the Bull Sharks’ 98-point win over Maroochydore.

Sharing the limelight with fellow 2006-born stars Nyalli Milne and Tara Harrington, Harris provided plenty of headaches for the opposition Roos defence, clunking a number of marks and setting up plays with even a stint in the midfield.

Her performance was the first one put under the microscope in our QAFL Women’s Player Focus for 2023 as Harris looms as a pick one contender in a massive field of top-end quality next year.

Queensland Girls, SUNS AcademyKey Position Utility

Havana Harris

Height: 182cm

Weight: -

DOB: 01-07-2006

GAME NOTES:

Bond University 15.14 (103) defeated Maroochydore 1.0 (6)

Harris impacted the game from very early on, with a handball opening her disposal count, but she would soon slot her first goal. Though unable to pick the ball up off the first go, a strong second effort, accompanied by a fend-off, allowed her to slot her first goal of her QAFLW career.

She would kick her second following a strong grab in the goalsquare and set up another goal later in the term after winning it at the top of 50 and kicking ahead of her teammate to give off for a clever snap.

Though not kicking a goal in the second and third terms, Harris pushed up the ground and took a number of strong grabs, with two snaps on goal ending with a behind and then being touched on the line. She had a set shot late in the second quarter from 55m that missed to the left but impressively made the distance.

The third term saw Harris sensationally moved into the midfield which is a little strange for a player of 182cm, especially when the rucks were generally slightly smaller. Though not explosive, Harris is mobile enough to not be a liability like many key position players could be, and she even won a couple of touches to feed out to running teammates.

Her fourth quarter saw her return to the forward 50 where she launched a great goal from 45m following a run-down tackle and free kick. She kicked her fourth goal off an intercept mark inside 50 with the subsequent kick going over the heads of players running back to bounce home to cap off a big day out. She almost kicked the goal of a day with a snap from the boundary line which started to bend back before unluckily hitting the post.

DRAFT PROFILE:

Havana Harris is an all-round threat for a key position player and one of a number of emerging talls who have athleticism to back up their strength. Her ability to get it done in the air or at ground level and play the role of a small as effectively as a tall makes her such a talented prospect for the future.

Harris is a dominant key forward who is capable of rolling through the ruck as well, and as the game on the weekend showed, the midfield too. Long term, the Gold Coast Suns Academy member looms as a key forward, likely a centre half-forward who can clunk the contested marks then put the ball into the danger zone.

Her skills for a tall are quite strong, and her athleticism – mainly her vertical leap – all help her to win the ball in situations outside the typical marking contest. Harris’ upside is exciting for any club recruiter, and she has already shown she has a full kit bag of tricks that includes a penetrating kick and a penchant for nailing goals of any range.

Had she been able to covert a couple of her snaps on goal in the win over Maroochydore, Harris could really have walked away with a haul of six or seven goals for the Bull Sharks. Coming into the AFLW Under 18 Championships, Harris is tipped to be one to watch for Queensland and is a nightmare of a matchup.

The point of difference for Harris compared to most talls is that she does not have a massive deficiency in her game that clubs will be desperate for her to address. She does not have explosive speed, and can get run down at times if she bites off too much in close, but she is 182cm after all. Being able to improve these areas just makes her an even more damaging threat, but she can do a lot of damage with what she has got.

SUMMARY

Havana Harris is a name who will certainly be one to remember for the 2024 AFL Women’s Draft. With still another year on top of 2023 to hone her craft, there are very few key position players like her. Many are either contested marking talents or athletic types who can impact at ground level, but Harris is a mix of both and is tipped to have a strong QAFL Women’s season for the Bull Sharks.