TOP-AGE AFL Women’s Academy member Charlotte Riggs starred in Central District’s six-point win over West Adelaide, rotating between ruck and forward and contributing in both areas. The 2023 SANFL Women’s premiership player had herself a game, with a highly contested, but highly efficient outing against the Bloods.

Riggs is averaging 10.3 disposals, 2.4 marks, 2.9 tackles, 1.4 clearances, 1.4 inside 50s and 1.7 rebound 50s in the 2024 SANFLW season, also kicking two goals. Having started the season more as a defender, she has pivoted into a ruck/forward role in recent weeks, allowing Miyu Endersby to slot into defence.

Her performance against West Adelaide was put under the microscope in our SANFLW Round 10 Player Focus.

Central District Women's, South Australia GirlsKey Position Utility

Charlotte Riggs

Height: 179cm

Weight: -

DOB: 02-11-2006

PLAYER FOCUS

2024 SANFL Women’s: Round 10
Peel Thunder 0.0 (0) lost to East Fremantle 16.9 (105)

#9 Charlotte Riggs (Central District)
Stats: 18 disposals (12 kicks, 6 handballs), 73.7% contested, 72.2% disposal efficiency, 3 marks (2 contested), 17 hitouts, 7 clearances, 2 tackles, 3 inside 50, 1 behind

FIRST QUARTER

Charlotte Riggs started in the ruck and won an early tap against Tess Huxtable, her main opponent for the day. After a minute in, Riggs won the tap and followed up at ground level. Though she couldn’t immediately pick up the ball, she earned a free kick for in the back and pinpointed a pass downfield to Dakota Williams.

A short time later, Riggs received the handball and delivered a nice short pass to Jovanka Zecevic, and then at the eight-minute mark, took the ball out of the ruck and cleared it forward while being tackled. A moment later, she won the ball and delivered an elite pass into the corridor to Mikaylah Antony with Riggs’ vision being superb.

In the final few minutes, Riggs looked to have taken a two-grab mark inside 50 but it was not paid and she had to handball away as she was tackled. At quarter time, Riggs was one of the more prominent ball-winners, notching up six touches.

SECOND QUARTER

The second term was much of the same with a strong tap at the centre bounce, and then a nice kick to a dangerous spot inside 50 just 30 seconds later. At the three-minute mark, Riggs found herself in a marking contest and clunk it sstrongly, but made a rare error by foot, miscueing the kick and it sailed out on the full having hit the wrong side of the boot.

Her accuracy by foot returned midway through the term when Riggs nailed a pinpoint short pass on the wing, and then a couple of minutes later was able to cleanly get a handball away despite being tackled. Having already made her mark in the ruck, Riggs spent the second half of the term in the forwardline and finished with 11 disposals to the main break.

THIRD QUARTER

Riggs returned to the ruck to start the second half, breaking even at the opening bounce. Her best play out of the ruck came one and a half minutes in, when she won the tap out of the ruck, followed up with a second effort and delivered a low bullet into Katelyn Rosenzweig. Though Huxtable’s experience was winning the ruck duel to that point, Riggs was impacting outside the taps and around the ground.

At the four-minute mark, Riggs won a free after following up a tap and was pushed in the back with her kick okay though it just missed the target. A few minutes later, Riggs flew for a mark at half-back but could not quite take it, though she brought it to ground cleverly.

Later in the term playing centre half-forward, Riggs found herself opposed to fellow State Academy member Lucy Boyd, and though she won the foot race to the ball on the wing, she was tackled across the line.

In the final minute of the quarter, Riggs went unopposed in the ruck at half-forward and she again took it out and put boot to ball right in the path of Rosenzweig, handing her another goal, and herself a second goal assist. The margin was out to 15 points, the exact amount of disposals Riggs had to the final break.

FOURTH QUARTER

Though the fourth term was statistically her quietest, Riggs will ahd some nice moments, such as a good handball while being tackled at the seven-minute mark, then repeat efforts at ground level on the wing five minutes after that.

In the 16th minute, Riggs took a strong mark on the wing and delivered another lovely kick down to Williams, and almost clunked a ripping pack mark shortly after but couldn’t bring it down and it went across the boundary line. She did win the next hitout from the throw-in however.

In her last play of the day, Riggs took a strong grab out in front on the forward side of the wing, and then got a 25m penalty as Emma Kilpatrick ran too close to the mark, but a free was reversed in unrelated circumstances and Riggs did not get the opportunity to kick deep inside 50.

By the final siren, Riggs had added a further three disposals to her tally to finish with 18, but also the 17 hitouts and seven clearances, while she ran at 72 per cent disposal efficiency, an incredible feat considering 14 of her 19 possessions were contested.

CLOSING THOUGHTS…

Charlotte Riggs is one of the top tall prospects in this year’s AFLW Draft. Having developed as a ruck/key defender in her Under 16s year, then solidified herself as a rebounding back last year and winning a premiership with Central District, Riggs has now moved into a ruck/forward role, showing her true versatility.

What stands out about Riggs first and foremost is her vertical leap which is quite simply outstanding. However she is terrific below her knees and highly competitive, while having great vision that allows her to execute by hand or foot.

She is still developing consistency in her game as she can have up and down matches, but her upside is evident and based on her traits, she looms as a likely first round pick in this year’s AFLW Draft.