POWER and strength were key components in Adelaide’s AFL Women’s Draft haul, as the Crows added a trio of talents to their list for Season 9. After picking up local talent Brooke Boileau with pick 22 as expected, the Crows also plucked out Victorian Tamara Henry and Queenslander Lily Tarlinton with picks 28 and 34 respectively.

Brooke Boileau (South Adelaide / South Australia)
28/01/2005 | 169cm | Inside Midfielder

Boileau entered the draft as the eighth “live” prospect, so for the Crows to pick her up at 22 was a bargain. It was always going to happen after the South Adelaide midfielder nominated her home state, and now Boileau can learn off the likes of Ebony Marinoff and Anne Hatchard at the Crows. The powerful inside midfielder has clean hands on the inside and was rock solid all year, producing a top-age season to remember that included All-Australian and SANFL Women’s Team of the Year honours.

Tamara Henry (Western Jets / Vic Metro)
05/07/2005 | 170cm | Midfielder / Forward

Henry might be a powerfully strong midfielder/forward, but she is also an athlete, ranking among the top 10 talents at the AFLW Draft Combine. She has that balance of speed, strength and aerial ability, while possessing clean hands in the air and at ground level. Her defensive pressure is superb, and though hr consistency at times wavered, she presents a different element to a team’s forward half, where she will likely start inside 50.

Lily Tarlinton (Bond University / Queensland)
22/01/2002 | 186cm | Key Forward / Ruck

Tarlinton is a player who has been on the fringes of draft calculation since coming through the Queensland program over the years. Standing at 186cm, Tarlinton’s top-age year of 2020 was curtailed by the global pandemic, but has produced some consistent numbers for the Bull Sharks since. In the QAFL Women’s this season, Tarlinton kicked 16 goals from 13 games, after primarily being a ruck the season before.

SUMMARY

It is clear the Crows targeted powerful players who provide presence in different scenarios. Boileau does that at the stoppages, while Henry and Tarlinton are both aerial players, providing a tall and general marking option in the front half. Though only picking up one local, there is a clear direction the Crows wanted to go in with this year’s AFLW Draft.