WESTERN Australia got some additional match practice in ahead of its next AFLW Under 18 Championships clash against the Allies, when it took on Western Australia Country Women’s Team. While the young guns won as expected, the wet conditions made it a tough slog after quarter time, limiting them to just the two goals in the final three quarters.

We took note of each of the Under 18s who stepped up in the exhibition match. As always, notes are the opinion of the individual author.

#1 Noa McNaughton (South Fremantle)
20/10/2006 | 158cm | Forward

The tenacious small might not have had the chance to show off her outstanding forward craft, but she was able to impact defensively. She laid some fierce tackles across the course of the game and due to her pace and evasiveness, looks dangerous each time she goes near it. She set up Raison’s goal in the first term, and won a crucial handball off the deck under pressure in the fourth term for Tompkin to snap.

#3 Charlotte Tompkin (Claremont)
14/06/2005 | 155cm | Forward

The evasive small forward had a tough day given it was difficult to take the ball cleanly, or have any real space of note. Given her size, if a kick came in that was not to her advantage, an opponent could work her under the ball easily. She did have a couple of impressive moments with her efforts, and then snapped towards goal late in the game, but that attempt went wide.

#4 Zippy Fish (East Fremantle)
04/06/2006 | 160cm | Defender/Midfielder

Only playing the first half, the Lou Knitter Medallist looked her typical damaging self, not worried about the conditions. Playing between half-back and through the midfield, Fish was able to cleanly move through traffic and win her fair share of possessions before being rested for the second half. She did have a rare couple of fumbles at ground level in the second term and got pinged for holding an opponent at half-back, but otherwise was cleanly outstanding and one of the better players.

#5 Mylee Leitch (East Fremantle)
21/01/2004 | 161cm | Wing

One of a number of players who missed the first national carnival list who is also an AFLW train-on player, Leitch had some nice eye-catching moments working up the ground. She showed a bit of flair by handballing to herself when confronted by an opponent close to the line and then dashed off to kick down the ground. She took a number of good marks, and though she was bumped off it a couple of times, her vision and decision making was generally sound.

#6 Mia Russo (West Perth)
06/08/2007 | 162cm | Forward/Midfield

The double bottom-ager was an inclusion into the State 18s program off the back of a sensational Rogers Cup, and AFLW Under 16s Championships. Stepping up to the older grade, she made her presence felt early with a clean pick up, burst forward and slotted a fantastic goal on the run. She moved into the midfield and provided plenty of pressure, and while she did give away a couple of free kicks and was less experienced than her opponents, showed good courage on-ball.

#7 Eva Popovsky (Claremont)
18/04/2004 | 162cm | Forward

The over-age talent was a little more fumbly at ground level than she normally is, with her clean hands traditionally a feature of her profile. Though the conditions made it difficult to win the ball cleanly, she still found the pill and had a couple of quick touches in the early stages of the match. Not a huge game in terms of her numbers, but the tough 19-year-old was not afraid to put he body on the line in the wet conditions.

#8 Renee Morgan (South Fremantle)
04/05/2007 | 169cm | Midfielder

Coming on at half-time, Morgan wasted no time taking over Henry’s role on the inside as she cracked in and put her body on the line time and time again. Her inside presence was strong and she was able to feed it out to her teammates well, and with time and space is a lovely user of the football. Her pressure through multiple tackles was also outstanding, and aside from being beaten one-on-one in a marking contest on a wing by a more experienced opponent, was an impressive player in the second half.

#9 Ella Slocombe (Claremont)
06/12/2005 | 164cm | Midfielder

Coming back from a couple of months out of competitive action due to a knee injury, the timing was perfect for Slocombe who had been right to go for the WAFLW Grand Final had it not been such a high stakes game. She only came on in the second half, and while she was caught almost immediately a few times to begin with getting back up to speed, as soon as she got to the level again, she was outstanding. Using her pace and skills to impact the contest, she set up multiple goalscoring opportunities inside 50, and her clean hands at ground level given the conditions were simply superb.

#10 Tayah Palmer (East Fremantle)
13/09/2005 | 164cm | Forward

Coming on at half-time, Palmer almost got involved very early on, going for a mark inside 50. Though it came off hands, she followed up with a good tackle to force it out of bounds. She continued to attack the loose ball hard and in the fourth term had a nice kick to Leitch down the ground. She even earned a mark inside 50 but quickly turned around to kick forward and it unfortunately turned over.

#11 Madison Dodd (Subiaco)
11/03/2005 | 165cm | Utility

Another player who can fill in multiple roles, Dodd played across the wing and flanks bringing her defensive pressure to the fore. She laid numerous tackles and both won free kicks and gave them away, but when in space, took a number of good marks. Under pressure she can tend to rush with ball-in-hand, but when given time and space can hit targets well and she did just that on a number of occasions.

#13 Taya Chambers (East Fremantle)
16/07/2006 | 174cm | Defender

The East Fremantle bottom-ager had some nice moments playing in defence, and though at time she was under pressure and forced into an awkward quick kick, she was generally clean and able to dispose of the ball well. She was good one-on-one getting into the front position in a marking contest early and bringing the ball out to reset, and just bobbed up from time to time.

#14 Tyla Fitzgerald (Swan Districts)
23/03/2005 | 165cm | Forward

Returning to the Under 18s squad after being a member of its national carnival campaign last year, Fitzgerald filled a role up forward due to the strength of the midfield depth. She is familiar with the position, and almost kicked a clever goal close to the line on the edge of half-time by staying alert and running in. That attempt hit the post, but Fitzgerald played a good pressure role in the front half of the ground.

#15 Grace Freeman (East Fremantle)
14/04/2006 | 168cm | Forward

Improving for the Sharks this season, Freeman was another addition into the State Under 18s program and made an early impact by winning the ball out of a forward stoppage and slamming home a goal. Though she did not win a heap of it through the course of the game, she scrapped hard at ground level, pressured and presented.

#16 Evie Cowcher (Peel Thunder)
03/08/2007 | 173cm | Defender

Had the ball on a string playing off half-back for the state side, Cowcher naturally dropped back into deeper defence to help save scoring chances. She looked a touch off early in the game with a couple of dropped marks she would normally take and was a touch fumbly in the wet conditions. Once she worked into the game she had several nice plays sliding in to take a goal-saving mark in the defensive goalsquare and several composed handballs in defensive 50. By the time she came off at half-time, Cowcher had made an impact in the defensive half and was among the most prolific West Australians.

#18 Dakota Sexton (Peel Thunder)
13/12/2006 | 168cm | Defender

One who is not a high production player when outside the midfield, Sexton is still a developing talent. She took a strong intercept mark in defence, and a clean set of heels on another occasion to sidestep an opponent deep in the back 50. Her efficiency can let her down at times, but she has clean hands at ground level and in the air, but is strong and backs herself.

#19 Megan Norbury (West Perth)
09/03/2006 | 170cm | Defender

Norbury found herself in defence, and will be utilised for her speed and skill. Norbury can be a touch hit and miss with her efficiency, because at her best she is a pinpoint, precise kick, but when lacking confidence can rush and go for the first, and not always the best option. She dropped a mark and missed a handball early in the second term, but from then on steadied and was generally clean and effective. She really picked up by the last term and is one of the few players who is capable of weighting a kick well for a moving target.

#20 Natasha Entwistle (East Fremantle)
19/10/2006 | 170cm | Defender

Her attack on the ball and opposition was very good, playing in the defensive half of the ground. Her tackling pressure and ability to quickly dispose of it out of the danger zone was important, and her multiple efforts were on display. Not always able to have much time to dispose of it cleanly, she did have a number of effective disposals, but it was her ability to provide a mix of offensive and defensive attributes that caught the eye.

#22 Jaime Henry (Swan Districts)
05/10/2005 | 173cm | Midfielder

Only played the first half, but was clearly best-on when she came off, leading the team superbly through the midfield. Her strength both with the ball and without it was levels above everyone else at the stoppages, and the amount of times she won the hardball at ground level and fed it out, or was tackled, stood up and still got it free, was outstanding. Wet weather football did not worry her in the slightest, and she laid an array of tackles across the game, and barely had any easy possessions. Henry did get some reward for effort in the final 30 seconds of the first half, winning the ball from a forward stoppage and snapping onto her trusty left for a goal.

#23 Kaitlyn Srhoj (Peel Thunder)
10/07/2005 | 173cm | Midfield/Wing

The AFLW Academy member was the sole one of that exclusive trio who played the four quarters, with Henry playing a half and Georgie Cleaver not playing She really lead from the front early on, winning a stack of it in the first term and continued to run hard all game. She laid a fantastic run-down tackle at half-forward in the opening term, and continued to try and dance around opponents for the entirety of the match. Her fourth term picked up again as she won a bit of the ball both at half-back and on the wing, while also winning a free kick for a fantastic tackle late in the game. Her efficiency was down part due to the conditions and the pressure, but she never gave up trying to get involved.

#26 Mackenzie Webb (Claremont)
17/06/2004 | 174cm | Defender

Just unassumingly gets the job done each and every week, and does not make many mistakes. What Webb does well as a lockdown defender is she plays within her means and is able to use the ball well and know when to go short, and when to just clear the danger zone. She beats her direct opponent but can run off and provide some offensive drive when needed, and though there are less bells and whistles with her performance, Webb has piece together a really impressive over-age year.

#28 Liliana Grassenis (West Perth)
18/12/2005 | 176cm | Defender

Another player who missed the first national carnival game due to injury, Grassenis had some nice moments, including a strong intercept mark deep in defence early. She put her body on the line and showed terrific courage and competitiveness, and while her efficiency was down and the conditions make it hard to win it cleanly, she kept putting herself into good positions to either win the ball or stop her opponent from winning it.

#29 Molly O’Hehir (South Fremantle)
24/05/2006 | 177cm | Defender

The ultimate utility can play just about anywhere on the field, and on this occasions she was mostly off half-back and pushing up to a wing. One of the better four-quarter performers, O’Hehir used the ball well, ran hard and broke the lines, but most impressively hit targets while on the move. She also backed up for second and third efforts to win multiple possessions within a chain and pressured her opponents when she was not able to win the ball. Overall, O’Hehir showed all the tricks in her kit bag that make her one of the most high-upside players for next year.

#31 Olivia Crane (Subiaco)
08/10/2007 | 180cm | Defender

The double bottom-ager only played a half but was composed and courageous throughout, effectively replacing Cowcher at the main break. She took a number of great marks, including one deep in defence, then another back with the flight. Crane provided run and carry off half-back and was able to stand up in a tackle and get the handball away, and though she did miss a couple of targets, overall held her own through the second half.

#32 Olivia Wolmarans (Subiaco)
02/09/2007 | 180cm | Forward/Ruck

The only player on the day to kick multiple goals in the match, the double bottom-ager spent most of the time up forward, before going into the ruck later in the match. She had a chance from close range in the first term, but the wet conditions saw her miss the set shot, only for her to make good on her second chance not long after with a soccer off the deck in the goalsquare under pressure. She kicked her second following a mark at the top of the goalsquare in the last term, and did take quite a few marks leading out, rarely beaten and at the very least, bring ing the ball to ground. Still a bit raw in terms of her final execution but she has the athletic traits which point to enormous upside in the future.

#34 Skye Elliott (Perth)
13/05/2005 | 175cm | Defender/Midfielder

Only featured in the second half and would have gained great experience from the contest. As the only player from Perth – a side without a League team – Elliott has not been able to play against the majority of players within her side and was also a late call-up to the Academy. She tracked the ball on a number of occasions, but is a raw player with good size and did get a handball away when she was tackled in midfield playing behind the ball.

#35 Anjelique Raison (East Fremantle)
07/09/2005 | 180cm | Forward/Utility

The Under 18s skipper spent the first half of the match up forward, then rotated between ruck and forward, and even played as an inside midfielder later in the game. Showing off her ability to adapt, Raison was one of the four quarter performers across the course of the game, and was able to win a lot of the ball up the ground. She kicked the first goal of the match from a routine set shot after a good mark, and she brought her teammates into the game with slick hands in transition. When in midfield, she won her fair share of clearances or first possessions, and stood up in tackles when pressure across the ground.

#37 Kate Newson (Peel Thunder)
19/03/2006 | 188cm | Ruck

As the tallest player in the team, Newson has size about her and can usually dominate the hitout numbers at 188cm. Though she won her fair share of it, her athletic opponent held her own. Newson is not afraid to get her hands dirty and can follow up with a tackle, and while not overly athletic, works hard across the ground and her midfield group can usually work out plans to get first hands to it due to her size.