WINNING an MVP at Under 16s level a couple of years ago, Central District young gun Sophie Eaton has remained a top prospect in the 2025 AFLW Draft having impressed as a bottom-ager for South Australia last season, and earning a spot in the National Academy. She kicks off a podium of stars who could be in any order.

SOPHIE EATON PROFILE

DOB: 23/04/2007
Height: 170cm
Position: Wing/Midfielder
Club: Central District

SUMMARY

A naturally gifted player who started her career as a forward before moving onto the wing for Central District, Eaton has also spent time through the middle, which is a role she expects to play – with a wing rotation – for the Croweaters at the National Championships. Not a big bodied player compared to others, Eaton is able to dominate the opposition with her ball use and movement through traffic, extracting it via handball receive or working into space to run and gun.

Eaton’s ball use is a delight to watch, with her skill and decision making going hand-in-hand. She can assess situations quickly, hit those 45-degree kicks and open up the game in doing so. Her ability to find pockets of space around the ground then set up her teammates is a strength, and she is the type of player you want with ball in hand streaming forward looking for a target inside 50.

When playing as a forward, she can pop up and hit the scoreboard cleverly, and has the composure with plays on the run to only need a moment to straighten up and put one through the big sticks. Long-term she looms as that inside-outside midfielder who can rotate forward, with more time building up strength and her contested work likely to be on the horizon.

As a whole, Eaton is classy with a capital ‘C’ and regardless of where she plays, when she wins the ball, she makes an impact. With the now top-ager coming into her third SANFL Women’s season, it will be fascinating to see what she can achieve.