IF LAST week’s Team of the Week was an incredibly tough decision to come to, then the Coates Talent League Girls Round 2 team went to another level. With bags of goals left, right and centre, huge individual midfield numbers and some impressive defensive displays, this week’s side had more than 30 players who were genuinely deserving of starting in the side.

Our Round 2 Player of the Week was Greater Western Victoria (GWV) Rebels’ Isabella Davies who just knocked up a lazy 40 touches and four goals in her side’s dominant 90-point win over Bendigo Pioneers. She was one of five players who simply had to be locks inside the front half of the team.

Right next to her at centre half-forward is Sandringham tall Sienna Sharp who kicked the least goals of the forward six (one) but had the second most touches (34) in a career-best performance. Her Dragons took care of the Western Jets, and she was everywhere in the win.

The full-forward line contains three players who combined for 15 goals between them, with Dandenong Stingrays’ Evelyn Connolly (six), Murray Bushrangers’ Rose Bell (five) and Oakleigh Chargers’ Bailee Martin (four) all making their presence felt in a huge way and are the three leading goalkickers this season. That left just one spot remaining in the forwardline and in the end we opted for Connolly’s Stingrays’ teammate Alice Cunnington who kicked three goals from 22 touches.

From the front half to the defence, it might be a little strange to see a player with three goals to her name at half-back, but that is the case for Jovie Skewes-Clinton who played mostly in defence for the Rebels before being thrown forward and booted three majors in the last quarter. Funnily enough, centre half-back Alex McBride-Loane (Western Jets) and half-back Scarlett Johnson (Northern Knights) also kicked goals.

The full-backs in this hypothetical team did not quite get in on the scoring, but did shine in their respective matches. Sophia Green had a huge last quarter to help guide Murray over the line, while Chargers defender Chloe Thorn was composed out of the back half. Calder tall Taylah Gilcrist provided important drive as well as defensive work in the Cannons’ loss to Northern.

Eastern Ranges’ pair of players both line up in the centre square, with ruck Josephine Bamford and midfielder Tayla McMillan among the best for their side in the heartbreaking one-point loss to Oakleigh. McMillan’s direct opponent for a fair chunk of the time Chloe Bown is the other onballer after 35 touches and kicking the winning behind. In the centre is Calder Cannons dynamo Chloe Baker-West who racked up 31 disposals, nine marks, seven clearances, six rebound 50s and two goals in the victory.

Looking to the wings, and Dandenong Stingrays’ Tahlia Sanger has found her way out there after another strong performance in her over-age campaign. She had 25 disposals, laid 14 tackles and had seven inside 50s, squeezed back to her bottom-age role given the strength of the inside midfield in this hypothetical team. On the other wing is Sandringham Dragons’ Chloe Williams who kicked two goals from 18 disposals and five marks, to add further scoreboard pressure.

It is not every day that five of the six interchange players all have 23-plus disposals, but that is the case for this week’s team. Perhaps the most unlucky to miss out on a starting spot was GWV Rebels’ utility Maggie Johnstone who booted two goals from 24 disposals. Lilly Leighton (two from 23), Nalu Brothwell (one from 23) and Kira Lemire (three from 16) provided plenty of scoreboard pressure for their teams. The other two were contested tackling machines Nikhita Spiteri and Macy Watkins who were superb for their respective sides.

The unlucky three to just miss out and make emergencies were Calder Cannons’ Shauna McElligott, Gippsland Power’s Lily Milner and Dandenong Stingrays’ Lillian Snow. Further to that point though the likes of Millie Shortal, Abby Hobson, Olivia Gorman, Marlee Black and Jerrah Caruso were just a few of the others that were right down to the last shortlist.

Of the 12 clubs in action, only Bendigo Pioneers (90-point loss) and Geelong Falcons (103) did not have a representative, with each of the winning sides having multiple representatives – headlined by Dandenong Stingrays’ four – as well as losing sides Eastern Ranges and Calder Cannons who had two apiece.

2025 COATES TALENT LEAGUE GIRLS TEAM OF THE WEEK: ROUND 2

B: Sophia Green (Murray Bushrangers) – Taylah Gilcrist (Calder Cannons) – Chloe Thorn (Oakleigh Chargers)
HB: Jovie Skewes-Clinton (GWV Rebels) – Alex McBride-Loane (Western Jets) – Scarlett Johnson (Northern Knights)
C: Chloe Williams (Sandringham Dragons) – Chloe Baker-West (Calder Cannons) – Tahlia Sanger (Dandenong Stingrays)
HF: Bella Davies (GWV Rebels) (c) – Sienna Sharp (Sandringham Dragons) – Alice Cunnington (Dandenong Stingrays)
F: Rose Bell (Murray Bushrangers) – Bailee Martin (Oakleigh Chargers) – Eve Connolly (Dandenong Stingrays)
R: Josephine Bamford (Eastern Ranges) – Chloe Bown (Oakleigh Chargers) – Tayla McMillan (Eastern Ranges)
INT: Nalu Brothwell (Dandenong Stingrays) – Lilly Leighton (Gippsland Power) – Maggie Johnstone (GWV Rebels) – Kira Lemire (Northern Knights) – Nikhita Spiteri (Murray Bushrangers) – Macy Watkins (Sandringham Dragons)

EMG: Shauna McElligott (Calder Cannons) – Lilly Milner (Gippsland Power) – Lillian Snow (Dandenong Stingrays)