THREE teams recorded four players, and every SANFL Women’s side had multiple representatives in an evenly spread Rookie Me Central Team of the Week for Round 8.

North Adelaide, Central District and Woodville-West Torrens had the maximum four representatives, with South Adelaide and Sturt notching up three apiece, and the remaining three teams having two players each.

Round 8’s captain is Central District forward Katelyn Rosenzweig after her four second half goals helped the Bulldogs get past Sturt in an epic battle. She was the round’s leading goalkicker, with Sturt’s India Rasheed and Woodville-West Torrens’ Grace Martin kicking three apiece as the next best.

North Adelaide’s Brittany Perry was also named inside 50 after a terrific performance in the Roosters’ hard-fought two-point win over Norwood, with teammate and her side’s co-captain Jessica Edwards named vice-captain of the Team of the Week. Edwards is alongside winger Katelyn Pope in the centre line, with Eagles’ young gun Shineah Goody on the other wing.

Woodville-West Torrens had a season-high four players after a commanding upset victory over Glenelg, with captain Annie Falkenberg and midfielder Abbey Dowrick joining the two teenagers of Goody and Martin in the side.

The Bays on the other hand had the two representatives in captain Ellie Kellock and top-age talent Piper Window, the latter of whom has practically reserved a spot on the half-forward flank each week, but in Round 8 made it onto the bench.

Kellock is one of two midfielders who can roll forward named at half-forward in Round 8, with Central District’s Caitlin Wendland on the other flank. She is enjoying a good season, as is bottom-age defender Charlotte Riggs and skipper Shelby Smith who slotted into the Round 8 team. Hard-running winger Elaine Grigg was named as one of the emergencies.

The midfield was incredibly difficult to pick with a stack of impressive ball-winners in each of the four games. In the end, natural inside midfielders Isobel Kuiper (Sturt) and Zoe Venning (West Adelaide) were chosen to join Edwards in the middle, with Kuiper’s teammate and Double Blues’ ruck Jasmyn Hewett starting in that position.

Moving into defence and a first-time Team of the Week talent steps into the lineup with Rooster Aprille Crooks playing her best game of the season for the red and whites. She was joined in the back half by Norwood duo, Ashlee Gould and Shai Hiscock, with the latter bobbing up with a couple of crucial fourth quarter goals.

Rounding out the back six is South Adelaide’s Cheyenne Hammond, who was one of three Panthers in the side. Each week South Adelaide is the hardest to select players for Team of the Week with such an even spread across the team. In Round 8, midfield duo Brooke Boileau and Taylah Levy named on the bench.

Rounding out the bench is West Adelaide young gun Ruby Ballard, with the bottom-ager making the 24-player squad ahead of top AFLW draft prospect Lauren Young who was named as an emergency. Along with Grigg and Young, Sturt midfielder and now captain for the remainder of the season, Kate Harris was the third emergency, only just squeezed out by the incredible midfield depth this round.

2023 SANFLW TEAM OF THE WEEK: ROUND 8

B: Aprille Crooks (North Adelaide) – Ashlee Gould (Norwood) – Annie Falkenberg (WWT Eagles)
HB: Cheyenne Hammond (South Adelaide) – Charlotte Riggs (Central District) – Shai Hiscock (Norwood)
C: Katelyn Pope (North Adelaide) – Jess Edwards (North Adelaide) (vc) – Shineah Goody (WWT Eagles)
HF: Ellie Kellock (Glenelg) – India Rasheed (Sturt) – Caitlin Wendland (Central District)
F: Grace Martin (WWT Eagles) – Katelyn Rosenzweig (Central District) (c) – Brittany Perry (North Adelaide)
R: Jasmyn Hewett (Sturt) – Isobel Kuiper (Sturt) – Zoe Venning (West Adelaide)
INT: Ruby Ballard (West Adelaide) – Brooke Boileau (South Adelaide) – Abbey Dowrick (WWT Eagles) – Taylah Levy (South Adelaide) – Shelby Smith (Central District) – Piper Window (Glenelg)

EMG: Elaine Grigg (Central District) – Kate Harris (Sturt) – Lauren Young (West Adelaide)