DESPITE plenty of AFLW players still being around there were a number of VFLW listed players who were crucial for their respective sides and we took note of how they performed in our weekly Scouting notes. All notes are the opinion of the individual author.

Western Bulldogs 4.4 (28) defeated Essendon 3.8 (26)

Western Bulldogs:

#29 Courtney Ugle (Defender)
22/7/1996 | 160cm

Stats: 14 disposals, three tackles, two marks, one clearance

After coming across from long time home Essendon, Ugle has slotted into the Bulldogs’ backline seamlessly. Playing off the last line of defence, she was strong and quick and also had the responsibility of taking in the kick ins. She also played like someone who really knew what her strongest assets were and played in a way that would maximise usage of them.

#64 Imogen Milford (Forward/Ruck)
2/12/1999 | 179cm

Stats: 12 disposals, six marks, seven tackles, seven hit outs, one goal

Milford mainly played as a forward on the weekend, but did seamlessly slip into the ruck at times when needed. She was a strong marker all over the ground, and reliable in her ability to take marks. She also pushed up a lot more of the ground than perhaps she normally does, with the Bulldogs then able to use her height advantage and reliable marking to create that target as they are transitioning down the field, not just in attacking 50.

Essendon:

#52 Jayda Richardson (Forward)
4/11/2003 | 174cm

Stats: 12 disposals, two marks, two tackles, one hit out, one clearance, one goal, one behind

Although she only got one goal to her name, Richardson continued to show how strong she can be in attack. Using her height to her advantage, she played a true key forward role, using a strong marking ability to present a reliable target for her teammates.

#64 Ashlea Melnikas (Midfielder/Forward)
17/3/1995 | 168cm

Stats: 15 disposals, six marks, one tackle, two clearances, one behind

Continuing her strong start to the season, Melnikas played more of a midfielder role on the weekend and was able to show off a few other strings to her bow. She showed off her strong running capacity and how clean she was with ball in hand, which just adds to her strong work around clearances.

Box Hill 4.7 (31) defeated Williamstown 3.3 (21)

By: Peter Williams

Box Hill:

#32 Caitlin Thorne (Midfielder)
29/08/2003 | 171cm

Stats: 20 disposals, eight marks, six tackles, five clearances, six inside 50s, two rebound 50s

Continuing to grow in confidence nad experience, Thorne was fantastic across the ground. She is a prime mover and does not seem to get overshadowed by quality players around her. Racking up 20 disposals and winning her fair share of clearances, she also got into space well and clunked eight marks. Her ability to win it inside or outside is very impressive, and she has always had the tools to develop her game further. So far it is looking like a big season for the 20-year-old in the brown and gold.

#68 Eleanor Butler (Defender)
18/04/2004 | 164cm

Stats: 12 disposals, four marks, one tackle, two clearances and three rebound 50s

Butler was one of the more impressive Hawks outside the AFLW-listed group, with her run and carry from defence important. The former Stingray has not been too far away from draft consideration, and her smarts to get into the right spots and intercept consistently both aerially and mopping up at ground level was important. Is a readymade defender who only turned 20 today so has plenty of years to further develop.

Williamstown:

#26 Megan Smart (Forward)
08/07/2005 | 168cm

Stats: Seven disposals, three marks, one tackle

The former Western Jets midfielder/forward had plenty of support at the game, receiving a huge cheer when she ran onto the ground. That almost got louder when she marked well inside 50, but unfortunately could not quite put it through the big sticks. Still, the Seagulls’ talent showed some promising signs in the familiar blue and gold, and is a clever player who can fill multiple roles if required.

Collingwood 4.5 (29) defeated Carlton 1.6 (12)

Collingwood:

#44 Megan Ryan (Midfielder)
12/12/1995 | 180cm

Stats: 15 disposals, 13 hit outs, three tackles, three clearances, two marks

Another captain’s game from the former Bomber, who continued to affect the game in many ways. Not only was her midfield work solid, but she seamlessly switched between the ruck and midfield, proving to be a very reliable second ruck option and very strong in her ability to get into the best position in a ruck contest.

#65 Sachi DeGiacomi (Forward)
29/11/2000 | 169cm

Stats: 10 disposals, three tackles, two marks, one goal

Another strong game up forward for the former Cat, who despite not being the tallest option in Collingwood’s forward line, certainly played like someone who was much taller than her at times. Despite playing like that tall forward, she also varied it up and was lively in the forwardline.

Carlton:

#5 Isabelle Khoury (Midfielder)
10/3/2003 | 164cm

Stats: 19 disposals, seven tackles, five clearances, two marks, two behinds The in-and-under machine, Khoury was not afraid to throw herself into a contest. She was often under the bottom of a pack, trying to get the ball out for her team, and she was a strong source of midfield pressure for her team too.

#51 Octavia Di Donato (Defender)
23/02/2004 | 172cm

Stats: 16 disposals, three tackles, two marks, two rebound 50s

Although the Blues did lose the match, it could have been a lot worse for them without Di Donato. The young defender pulled off some really impressive intercepts, marks and smothers, and created lots of rebound opportunities off Carlton’s half-back line.

Casey 8.4 (52) defeated Port Melbourne 4.5 (29)

Casey:

#4 Tylah Burn (Midfielder)
26/10/2004 | 166cm

Stats: 25 disposals, five clearances, two marks, one tackle

An absolute midfield machine, Burn was again a valuable cog in Casey’s midfield. Her strong drive and run was again on display, and she ultimately led all-comers in the clearance count, which with how much the ball was pinging between the 50m arcs, a strong clearer like Burn was absolutely crucial.

#18 Meg Macdonald (Defender)
29/6/1998 | 170cm

Stats: 22 disposals, nine tackles, four marks, three clearances, one behind

Another solid game from the Casey captain, she is continuing to prove that the added responsibility of captaincy is not getting her with a calm presence shown on field. Playing off half-back and into the midfield, she was a strong marking target that created plenty of run and drive off half back.

#19 Niamh O’Neill (Forward)
10/5/1996 | 171cm

Stats: 16 disposals, nine marks, two tackles, two clearances, two goals, one behind, one hit out

With Casey’s usual focal points in attack not in the side, O’Neill really stepped up and filled that role. She led all-comers for marks, and put that powerful kick to good use to snag two goals. She also did some pinch hitting in the ruck, and while she did not get too many hitouts, there was enough there to show that there is potential there if worked on.

Port Melbourne:

#5 Lauren Caruso (Defender)
19/11/1999 | 161cm

Stats: 16 disposals, five tackles, three marks

It was a bit of a new role on the weekend for Caruso, who seemed to slot into it seamlessly. Playing off the last line of defence, Caruso was a menace, and was also in charge of taking the kick outs, which was a smart decision considering how precise her kicks can be.

#36 Ava Seton (Midfielder)
19/4/2004 | 165cm

Stats: 17 disposals, seven tackles, four clearances, two marks

Much like the week prior, Seton was not afraid to get under the bottom of packs, and created plenty of attacking play out of midfield. She was also a tackling machine, working really hard to ensure Casey could not get easy passage through the middle.

GWS 9.10 (64) defeated Southern Saints 0.2 (2)

GWS:

#3 Caitlin Fletcher (Midfielder)
2/10/2003 | 171cm

Stats: 13 disposals, six tackles, two clearances, one mark

One of the taller mids on her side, Fletcher has the agility and endurance of someone who is a more stereotypically sized midfielder.

She played just in the midfield on the weekend but did pinch hit in the ruck, and the Giants were really able to utilise her pace and willingness to run and gain ground for her side. None more so than a passage in the third term where Fletcher sprinted through the centre of the ground, evaded an opponent and then set up Zarlie Goldsworthy for one of her four goals.

Southern Saints:

#12 Abbey Tregellis (Midfielder)
14/9/2004 | 174cm

Stats: 18 disposals, four tackles, four clearances, one mark, one behind

Although it was a tough day for everyone involved in red, white and black, Tregellis stood tall and was impressive in the way she never gave up.

She was always willing to get in and under packs, and not afraid to take on the contest in search of positive momentum forward for her side.

Geelong 5.3 (33) defeated Darebin 4.2 (26)

By: Peter Williams

Geelong:

#17 Lily Jordan (Midfielder)
29/06/2005 | 164cm

Stats: 12 disposals, nine tackles, three clearances, one inside 50, 1 rebound 50

Returning from injury, Jordan provided her usual defensive pressure around the stoppages and ended up laying nine tackles. Aside from being pinged holding the ball or giving away a couple of free kicks, the over-age talent was able to pinpoint teammates on both sides of her body, weighting a lot of her kicks well. Continued to apply good strength over the ball at the coalface.

#52 Johanna Sunderland (Defender)
14/07/2005 | 165cm

Stats: 11 disposals, one tackles, seven rebound 50s

Reliable and steadfast in defence, Sunderland played her usual game of mopping up in the back 50 and being composed with ball-in-hand. Often going long down the line to safety, she had some kickouts as well and pushed up the ground to gain some metres and get her side further down the field.

#64 Mekah Morrissy (Midfielder)
16/01/2006 | 159cm

Stats: 14 disposals, one mark, five tackles, four clearances, two inside 50s, two rebound 50s

It was an outstanding performance from the Geelong Falcons wing who started in defence then moved into midfield for the majority of the match. She showed she has the ability to work her way around the stoppages and was generally effective with ball-in-hand. Despite going up against more experienced opponents, she did not shy away from the challenge and came away as one of the best non-AFLW listed players for the Cats.

#72 Millie Lang (Defender)
06/11/2006 | 177cm

Stats: 11 disposals, two marks, one tackle, four rebound 50s

Rock solid in the back 50, Lang was able to provide some drive and stability in defence. Though under more pressure than she is used to in Coates Talent League which forced some uncharacteristic turnovers, Lang got better as the match went on and was able to deliver long don the ground with her raking left boot.

Darebin:

#15 Chloe Kodagoda (Forward)
15/12/2006 | 168cm

Stats: Seven disposals, three marks, two tackles, one inside 50

Though the top-ager’s stats do not jump off the page, she had some nice moments throughout the match. Aerially, Kodagoda was quite strong and competed well, and even showed a nice sidestep early in the game. Her polish and final execution is an area to develop, though she did put the ball into the right spots for teammates to run onto.

#37 Grace Wake (Defender)
11/07/2003 | 166cm

Stats: Seven disposals, three marks, three tackles, one clearance, one inside 50

Wake was a part of the under siege backline at times, but held up well, with the 20-year-old mopping up on the last line and generally clearing the ball from danger. She took a great intercept mark in the middle midway through the second term to get it inside 50, and was able to cleanly use it when pushing up the ground.

Sydney 17.12 (114) defeated North Melbourne 4.1 (25)

Sydney:

#1 Brooke Bailey (Forward)
23/02/2002 | 168cm

Stats: Nine disposals, three tackles, two goals, two behinds, one mark, one clearance

One of only two non-AFLW listed players in the line up, Bailey certainly proved to be a valuable part of the team. Playing as the tall forward target in her VFLW debut, she presented well and also kicked two majors, both were from at least 30-35m out, showing off the power in her kick.

#6 Imogen Brown (Midfielder)
03/03/2005 | 169cm

Stats: 14 disposals, three marks, one tackle, one clearance, one behind

The other non-AFLW listed Swan on the field, Brown popped up for her moments of brilliance. Playing more through midfield, she showed a strong ability to apply defensive pressure while in attack, and was also involved in a brilliant link up play down the wing.

North Melbourne:

#6 Brooke Sheridan (Defender)
8/9/2004 | 170cm

Stats: Six disposals, three tackles, two marks, one clearance, one goal

In what was a less than ideal day to be a North Melbourne defender, Sheridan impressed. Playing along the last line of defence, she took some important intercept marks, and was responsible for plenty of crucial defensive work. She also snuck forward and booted a goal from about 40m out, showing how much power she has in her kick.

#40 Nyakoat Dojiok (Forward)
7/1/2003 | 174cm

Stats: Eight disposals, three tackles, two goals, one mark

Responsible for half of North Melbourne’s goals on the day, Dojiok was North Melbourne’s most lively and dangerous forward player. Her speed was truly her biggest weapon, utilising it not only to score the goals she scored but to set up North Melbourne’s first goal of the game that came through Renee Tierney.