PRODUCING one of the best three-game performances for the national carnival, Vic Country midfielder Sara Howley earned her state’s MVP. In her final game during the win over Western Australia, Howley racked up 31 disposals and eight inside 50s – game-highs – and five clearances – equal game-high – in a clear best on ground performance.

The Geelong Falcons junior, who came off a sensational bottom-age campaign that saw her win the Rookie Me Central Medal and Coates Talent League Girls Best and Fairest, has gone from strength to strength for Vic Country, providing a stack of run and carry across the ground.

Her performance was the subject of our AFLW Under 18 Championships Player Focus.

Geelong Falcons, Vic Country GirlsMidfielder

Sara Howley

Height: 173cm

Weight: -

DOB: 29-01-2006

PLAYER FOCUS

2024 AFLW Under 18 Championships:
Vic Country 10.3 (63) defeated Western Australia 5.1 (31)

#7 Sara Howley (Vic Country)
Stats: 31 disposals (16 kicks, 15 handballs) @ 80.6% disposal efficiency, 50.0% contested, 3 marks, 2 tackles, 5 clearances 8 inside 50s, 1 goal

FIRST QUARTER

Howley started on Lily Paterson at the first centre bounce and tracked the ball well early in the middle. Her first touch came in the middle when off a handball receive she was able to produce and effective kick to half-forward. Her next touch came three minutes later after winning it off the forward stoppage as she was falling backwards while being tackled, handballing it clear and keeping it in motion going forward.

At the seven-minute mark of the term, Howley found herself at half-back where she handballed despite being tackled and managed to cleanly get it away to a teammate. When up against Zippy Fish on the wing at a stoppage, she got to a ball-winning position to receive the handball and then kicked to half-forward.

At the centre bounce midway through the quarter, Howley started loose to the side, winning a tocuh at the stoppage and bursting away to kick inside 50. That kick was a rare turnover, which ended her first stint on the ground before coming for a short break.

Upon re-entering the field of play, she quickly marked the ball in the middle and nailed a pinpoint pass to Lou Painter at the top of 50. From that point on at centre bounces, Howley played the sweeper role to mop up anything coming her way, with the West Australian rucks having the height advantage and there for the substantial hitout differential.

Another couple of touches finished Howley’s quarter with a handball receive at the top of 50 seeing her send a kick to the pocket. That was turned over but that very next kick sailed out on the full. Taking the kick back into play she spotted a loose Ella Stoddart 40m out to hit-up. One more handball on the defensive side of the wing in the final term made it 11 disposals for the first term.

SECOND QUARTER

Howley started back at the centre bounce opposed to Fish, before both players went their separate ways. She had a couple of early pressure acts on the wing, and did get a possession in close but was immediately tackled before she could dispose of it. In the fourth minute, Howley went in and won the ball against Noa McNaughton at the centre stoppage, getting her hands to it and dishing out a clean handball.

Contesting a marking contest against the far taller Kate Newson, Howley did not stand much chance at marking, but did mark a couple of minutes later in the middle between two oponents and and passed off with precision by hand. She followed up to win another handball receive and kept the chain going to really rack up more of the footy.

As Vic Country continued to rack up the goals, Howley remained vigilant at the centre bounces, playing as a defensive sweeper sometimes with an opponent, other times loose. She came off for a rest midway through the term to coome straight back on into the centre bounce in the 15th minute, where she got hands to it, was immediately tackled but just got the ball away in time.

To finish out the quarter, Howley set up Ash Centra for a goal in a highlight of the day. She won a free for being held on thr wing, immediately played on and pumped it long to Centra’s advantage deep forward, and Centra did the rest. For her last touch of the half, Howley was against McNaughton at the centre bounce and got her hands to it mopping up a turnover handball and was able to get it clear from congestion to Jasmine Sowden on the outside at half-forward.

THIRD QUARTER

The third quarter was Howley’s quietest, but she still managed to accumulate six disposals in the term, showing just how consistent she was throughout. Starting on-ball, the Falcons midfielder quickly got involved in the opening 30 seconds, running past Zoe Besanko for a handball and bursting forward. Taking a bounce, the oblong ball went astray, but Howley recovered before being tackled to handball it off to a teammate.

Howley lost a rare one-on-one for speed when Fish got to the ball first on the wing after Howley could not cleanly gather it, and the West Australian took off to deliver it to Olivia Wolmarans for the Sandgropers’ first goal. It was the only main blemish for Howley, as she had a quieter middle patch of the term, coming off for a rest.

Upon her return to the field, Howley was tightly watched by McNaughton on the defensive side of the centre bounce, an aspect that the opposition had focused on after the main break, with Paterson and Renee Morgan both standing beside Howley at centre bounces, not allowing her free reign to swoop in and take an easy touch.

Howley’s centre square experience compared to McNaughton who has spent time in there but is predominantly a small forward, showed, with Howley nudging her smaller opponent into the contest, and then letting the ball bounce into her own hands and dish off via handball. She would win another could of touches through the quarter, and went for a mark in the final few minutes, but was immediately tackled by Molly O’Hehir the second it went to ground.

Howley had one last touch a moment later at the stoppage with a dump kick coming off a handball receive going inside 50 which was locked inside Country’s forward 50. By the final break, Howley had racked up 23 touches and was already in line for a big day, leading all-comers.

FOURTH QUARTER

Further flexing her muscles in the last term with eight more disposals, Howley finished off the game strong. She started on the defensive side of the early centre bounces, but got active to keep on the move and quell opponents trying to block her run. She went to the side of the stoppages to try and move through them quickly, and though not winning a touch at first, did begin to accumulate the ball again after the first couple of minutes.

She won more disposals at both half-forward and defence, covering the ground well, almost taking a mark in the defensive 50 but it just came off her hands. She came off for an early rest in the fourth minute, but only spent about 90 seconds on the bench before returning.

Howley quickly got involved in the action again, winning a handball receive on the attacking side of the wing, handballing backwards to a teammate, then running forward, she received the one-two and dished off again.

After winning another free in the ieghth minute for being held by O’Hehir, Howley had her first kick of the quarter, then continued to to win it and look to break through tackles consistently. Caught by Laya Quinn-Schofield while on the move, the tackle was deemed high and Howley kicked down the ground, though that was another rare turnover.

She continued to accumulate and did so through the last 10 minutes of the match, scrapping at grounde level to win a couple of touches, as well as a long kick inside 50 off a step that was albeit read well by the opposition defence.

However Howley was the one reading the flight of the ball well when Kayla Dalgleish centred the ball to 30m out where the midfielder marked cleanly and after the siren sounded, went back for a set shot. She nailed the goal – Vic Country’s first since the opening minute of the third term – and enjoyed the celebrations that followed.

CLOSING THOUGHTS…

Howley had a standout game for Vic Country against Western Australia, and one could argue that she has been best on for Country in each of her three games. Even in her side’s two losses, the midfielder was phenomenal in accumulating the ball and having an impact with her run and carry, getting it from defence or through the middle and turning it into offence.

Backing up a strong bottom-age season, Howley is among the top prospects in this year’s draft, and should feature somewhere in the later Top 10 or just outside. However, with the form she continues to show against the best of the best, she could end up rising depending on the clubs that will be keen to add her.

She provides great speed on the ball, has no trouble finding it and can win it both inside and outside, while having a good size that allows her to compete strongly in the air as well. Working on her defensive running like a lot of good offensive midfielders, Howley appeared to have added more of that element to her game at the national championships, and her inside craft as a potential first possession winner has also developed further.

Howley will have the rest of the Coates Talent League Girls season to play out, with Geelong Falcons taking on Dandenong Stingrays at Werribee this Sunday, before hosting GWV Rebels at La Trobe University in the final Round 17. The Falcons have made finals once again and will be looking to go one better than their preliminary final last year, though will have to compete with both the Stingrays and Tasmania Devils for the top two Country spots.