OVER the next three weeks, Rookie Me Central will be counting down our 23 Players Under 23 years of age to watch in the upcoming 2023 season. The criteria is the player must be born in 2001 or later, and must have played at least one AFL Women’s match in Season 7. As the list is completely subjective, the opinion is that of the individual author.
#11 Montana Ham (Sydney)
DOB: 29/03/2004
Height: 179cm
Position: Midfielder
Games: 7
Montana Ham was the most talked about draftee in the 2022 AFL Women’s Draft. The Victorian prospect who starred in a premiership season for the Western Jets, opted to nominate New South Wales as her state of choice. That allowed expansion side Sydney to swoop in and take her with the first selection in the AFLW Draft.
A 179cm utility who largely played as an inside midfielder for the Jets, Ham has the capacity to go forward and clunk a huge contested mark as well. The 19-year-old is the only player on the list to play below 10 games, such is her evident talent. At Under 18s level, Ham averaged 24 disposals, five marks and six inside 50s, and she showed no signs of slowing down stepping up to AFLW level, where her debut season was only curtailed by injury.
SEASON 7 KEY STATS:
Games: 7
Goals: 1
Disposals: 14.1
Disposal Efficiency: 57.6
Marks: 2.1
Metres Gained: 197.1
Clearances: 2.9
Tackles: 5.1
Inside 50s: 1.4
Rebound 50s: 2.7
Intercepts: 2.7
Score Involvements: 2.0
Time of Ground %: 82.6
Ham had a memorable debut for both good and bad reasons, collecting 11 disposals and laying eight tackles in 77 per cent time on ground against the Saints playing through the middle. She showed plenty of future scope in her performance, but unfortunately picked up a minor knee strain and would miss the next two matches.
She had her best game of the season when she returned in Round 4, picking up 20 disposals, four marks, five tackles, four clearances and 269 metres gained against Port Adelaide. It sparked a purple patch of form over the next month, where Ham averaged 16.0 disposals, 4.5 clearances, 5.0 tackles and 240 metres gained.
Ham would play two more games for the season before missing Sydney’s last match due to her school commitments. Overall, Ham averaged 14.1 disposals, 2.1 marks, 2.9 clearances and 197.1 metres gained, laying 5.1 tackles throughout the seven games.
LOOKING AHEAD
Given Ham has now finished school and enjoyed an extended preseason, expect her to have a huge second year in the AFL Women’s. Providing a strong body around the stoppages, and with more experience in the Swans’ side, she has every chance to take her game to another level in Season 8 and will be a star for a long time to come. Unfortunately a stress fracture in her foot means she will not be able to play until at least Round 3, but expect her to return in a big way.
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