CALDER Cannons are coming off an exciting 2023 where they essentially had three players picked early – a pre-listed Amy Gaylor and two first rounders in Kayley Kavanagh and Sarah Grunden – and now look to 2024 to see the next group of talents. We spoke with Calder Cannons coach Ross Smith at the recent Preseason Testing Day about the ones impressing him.

TOP PROSPECTS

Kyla Forbes (Forward/Utility)
07/09/2006 | 168cm

Forbes is a player with high potential who explodes in bursts to have an impact on games. Predominantly a forward, the crafty left-footer loves to wheel around and use her penetrating kick to advantage. In 2023, Forbes also had moments through the middle where she showed promise as an inside midfielder, particularly around stoppages.

Ross Smith says: “She was in the squad last year as a 17-year-old, plays predominantly as a forward. we’ve thrown her in the midfield because she’s a powerful athlete and she can give us some clearance numbers in a short space of time. But we also don’t want to blow her up in the midfield, so we just give her short bursts in there. I think we need to expand her game a little bit this year. We’ll probably play her off half-back a little bit as well.”

Maddison Albrecht (Utility)
07/09/2006 | 160cm

One of those players that does a lot of things right, Albrecht has a terrific speed-endurance mix and really stands out when out of the field for her defensive pressure and ability to go from contest to contest. Though only small at 160cm, she has a crack, and it is easy to see why she is a favourite with coaches and teammates for that pressure.

Ross Smith says: “She’s super quick … she can play also back and forward, and thrown into the mid even though she’s small. Definitely a goalkicker. We’re working on her kicking a fair bit this year and that’s probably the only thing she really needs to work on, she’s got most of the other attributes, she’s a good long distance runner, she’s got really good speed, she’s powerful and really aggressive tackler. She’s been fantastic.”

OTHERS TO WATCH

Ross Smith says: “Ava Gerada‘s another one we started playing forward last year and battled a little bit playing forward as a 17-year-old, its a bit task to play centre half-forward as a bottom-ager. We put her back at centre half-back and she made that position her own, really locked that down and finished really high in the club best and fairest in the end, so she did really well.”

Bottom-agers: Chloe Baker-West and Jade McLay

Ross Smith says: “Chloe’s a player that can just run all day, she’s a long-distance runner, she’s slightly small, plays midfield, can play half-back, probably will play more half-back at Metro I would think this year in the games, with everyone wanting to play midfield of course.

“Jade can play anywhere, Jade can play mid, back, forward. We’ve rucked her in the final against Oakleigh as we lost our ruck on the last training night. But she’s probably played all roles, she’s a really good size, a really powerful athlete, was runner-up in the best and fairest competition on the back of six games, so she did pretty well.”

2024 GOALS

Ross Smith says: “Obviously we set short, medium and long-term goals. I’d like to think that we’ll play all the 18 year-olds and all the 17 year-olds like we did last year. Every 17-year-old played two games last year and every 18-year-old played five. That’s probably the first aim, we want to try and get those girls through.

“We want to try and blood six, eight or as many as 10, 16 year-olds at some stage during the year as they start to come into the system after their championships and a lot of them will train with the main squad. Probably the main goal for me at the moment is to give everyone an opportunity and blood a few of the younger girls for the future.”

ROUND 1

Round 1: vs. Northern Knights | Saturday, April 6 @ Highgate Recreation Reserve