CLOSING out the 2023 SANFL Women’s season on an incredible note, Central District won the flag with the final kick of the game. In our last State Academy notes for the league this year, we took look at the 10 players across both sides who took to the field. As per usual, all notes are the opinion of the author.

South Adelaide:

#2 Holly Ifould

The hard-running winger was impressive early, after marking in space and pinpointing a pass to Lucy Northcott on the lead for the first set shot. Both Ifould and Laitiah Huynh had a great battle all day, with Ifould on top early, and Huynh finishing strong with a critical goal. Still, Ifould found plenty of it in the final term with six touches and worked hard up and down the field trying to keep her side in the game. An impressive 13 touches, four marks – one contested – three tackles, two clearances, one inside 50 and one rebound 50 for the number two.

#23 Esther Schirmer

Playing in defence as usual, Schirmer had a number of opponents for the day including State Academy teammate Riggs. Always good one-on-one, she was competitive when rolling onto Central’s other key forwards and refused to give her opponents an inch. While best known for her aerial pressure in bringing the ball to ground, Schirmer was equally effective at ground level, cracking in to lay eight tackles from her seven touches.

#37 Brooke Boileau

The standout State Academy member on the day, Boileau’s SANFLW season finished on a high from an overall game perspective despite the result. While no doubt giving away the decisive free kick for slight jumper hold will sting, her four-quarter effort was terrific. She had 16 disposals, two marks, five clearances, three inside 50s, two rebound 50s and laid 11 tackles. One of South Adelaide’s best on the big day, she lead from the front in clearances and tackles. Her biggest tackle was the one on the goalline to save a certain goal in the third term. A genuine Top 20 talent with state representative duties to come.

#52 Melissa Anderson

Though not always able to have it easy playing forward, Anderson got on the end of one in the second term making the most of a fumble from Huynh to deliver with a clean strike towards goal. Only six touches, but laid five tackles to play her role and bring the defensive pressure.

#53 Alissa Brook

Had her hands full in defence for the Panthers and only got her hands to it three times, but ensured pressure on her direct opponent. Though she has had some big games, Brook is not a massive accumulator and certainly held her own when required.

#56 Lily Baxter

In a game where a combined 226 tackles were laid, Baxter did not have the time and space she would ideally love to have on the big stage. Still, she mopped up in defence on a number of occasions, and finished with six disposals, one mark, one tackle, on clearance and two rebound 50s.

Central District:

#8 Elaine Grigg

The full speed pressure Grigg brings to every contest is something to behold, and she was ferocious in her attack. She laid a massive 15 tackles – funnily enough only third most for her team – but also had her best final of the post-season series. She ran hard forward, but backed up defensively as well. She was forced to play a more contested ball-winning game and was often in congestion, but did so very well, winning five clearances and using her breakaway pace to handball away when possible. Grigg can be a little unlucky when it comes to the umpires as she goes full tilt into a tackle, and even if fair, can give away a free kick. Overall, she was an impressive player for the Bulldogs on the day.

#9 Charlotte Riggs

One of the hardest tasks is to change your gameday role when injury strikes in the first 10 minutes of the match, and that was exactly the case for Riggs. When Georgia Avery was injured seven minutes into the contest, the intercept defender went from part-time ruck to just about full-time ruck. Not only that, but she had to battle against the best ruck in the competition this year in Soriah Moon. Though she lost the hitout battle, she did have a number of good leaps and tried to punch it to space. When forward in the second term, Riggs took a good mark at the top of the goalsquare and converted. There were some nervous moments for the bottom-ager when she too came off injured in the third quarter, but returned to be a key target.

#12 Sophie Eaton

Though Eaton did not win a lot of the ball, whenever she does it is pure class. There was one instant where she cleanly picked it up in the middle and delivered under pressure to half-forward. Like Baxter, she does her best work on the outside at senior level currently, and it was not the game for those types of talents. Still, she had five disposals and laid three tackles to pop up with contributions.

#27 Jasmine Evans

The underrated matchwinner who just keeps getting it done. Evans is a second half specialist, and a week after booting three goals in the third term against Norwood, almost repeated the effort against South Adelaide. She did only convert the one major, but also hit the post with another chance. Her third term got the ball rolling for the final quarter, and finished with 10 disposals, three marks, three inside 50s and 1.1.