AFTER cementing her spot in the West Adelaide lineup last season as a bottom-ager, West Adelaide forward Lucy Waye showed promising upside by kicking five goals from nine games and being an option inside 50 for her teammates. Her work earned her a place in the South Australian summer squad.

LUCY WAYE PROFILE

DOB: 07/06/2007
Height: 166cm
Position: Forward
Club: West Adelaide

SUMMARY

Waye was a member of the South Australian Under 16s pathway program, and though she did not get to play any of the games, was noted as one to watch through the West Adelaide pathway. After missing out on Under 18s as a bottom-ager, Waye focused on her SANFLW season with the Bloods where she showed plenty of upside inside 50, averaging 10.0 disposals,. 2.7 marks and 4.7 tackles, while booting five goals from nine games.

Waye has some eye-catching speed to go with her evident tackling pressure, with that balance of offensive weapons to mix with her defensive elements. While still developing areas of her game across the board, she was able to adapt to the Bloods program as a bottom-ager and that work ethic and determination earned her the call-up back into the state program.

The Adelaide supporter prides herself on her determination to win the ball at all costs, and while adapting to senior football compared to local leagues has been a gradual one for the top-ager, Waye is a quick learner and three of her five goals came in the last three weeks of the Bloods’ season. She managed four games of double-digit disposals, but laid seven tackles in the same amount of games.

In 2025, Waye will look to build on her impressive bottom-age season, but she offers a point of difference inside 50 with her speed and work rate, while applying defensive pressure at ground level and being able to clunk marks overhead as well. Her best performance of 15 disposals, six marks, seven tackles and a goal against the Eagles in Round 13 gave a glimpse of what she could produce consistently in 2025.