A CLEVER and hard-running midfielder-forward, Marlo Graham has a well-balanced game that has gone to another level in 2025. The top-age talent captained one of the Under 17 Futures sides at GMHBA Stadium last season and has not put a foot wrong as one of the vice-captains of the Northern Knights.

Graham was at her best against the Greater Western Victoria (GWV) Rebels at Mars Stadium, thriving on the larger ground and covering it with ease. In a four-quarter performance, Graham amassed 10 more touches than any other player on the ground (32) and also took a game-high six marks and had a game-high seven clearances in the process.

Her performance was the subject of our Coates Talent League Girls Player Focus for the week.

MARLO GRAHAM PROFILE

DOB: 15/11/2007
Height: 163cm
Position: Midfielder/Forward
Strengths: Footy IQ, neat skills, clean hands, defensive pressure, work rate
Improvements: Strength, one-on-ones

PLAYER FOCUS:

2025 Coates Talent League Girls – Round 4:
Northern Knights 6.10 (46) def. GWV Rebels 3.3 (21)

#3 Marlo Graham (Northern Knights)
Stats: 32 disposals, 6 marks, 6 tackles, 7 clearances, 3 inside 50s, 2 rebound 50s, 129 AFL Fantasy points

FIRST QUARTER

Marlo Graham started the match like a house on fire, winning seven disposals in the first 11 minutes, and finishing the opening quarter with eight touches to be the most productive player on the ground. From the opening centre bounce, the small midfielder went in hard to win the ball and got her first touch two minutes into the contest with a quick handball away. She would win a few touches in this fashion with her slick and quick hands on full display.

While clean by hand, Graham is also a fierce tackler who though not strong one-on-one, latches herself onto opponents to bring them down, or is often a secondary tackler alongside a teammate to ensure that an opponent cannot get free. Her first kick came in the 10th minute of the term when off hands at half-back she threw it on the boot and it worked out perfectly.

A minute later, her lovely executed weighted handball while in traffic under pressure on the move went straight to a teammate and she followed up shortly after with a shepherd that allowed a teammate to win it, before getting it back and kicking lace out to Kira Lemire on the lead up the ground. Her final touch came late in the term with a clear handball on the wing to end what was a productive first term.

SECOND QUARTER

Graham’s only really quiet quarter was her second, and she still managed to get involved defensively, with a strong tackle at the centre bounce, and being able to work up and down the ground to apply pressure. Each of her few touches – four – did pan out into something productive with a handball inside 50 early leading to a shot on goal, while having the know how during a frantic turnover passage to slow the tempo and pick the right option by foot in the middle.

The Knights talent had an eye-catching play midway through the quarter where at half-back, she won the clearance and burst away. Taking a bounce, Graham drew an opponent and subsequent contact and cleanly dished off to a teammate running parallel to her. She kept running to be an option even if not utilised in that chain. By half-time, Graham had notched up 12 touches to her name.

THIRD QUARTER

Back to business in the third term, Graham started the quarter with a strong secondary tackle on Maggie Johnstone, then won it via a steal in defence, ripping it from Scarlett O’Donnell‘s hands and bursting away from half-back. Graham kicked to a contest then followed up to arrive on the scene moments later, a similar case in the third minute where she had another burst from half-back kicking down the ground.

Graham made a rare error in the fifth minute trying to play on from a mark when taking on Milly Shortal, though managed to spill it out fortunately not pinged holding the ball. The top-ager would go on to win a few more touches throughout the course of the quarter, including off a nice mark standing under a high ball courageously on the wing.

In the 13th minute, Graham had rotated forward and produced a dazzling spin out of congestion to get the ball to boot and find a teammate 30m out from goal. Racking up another eight touches in the quarter, Graham brought her total to 20 by the final change.

FOURTH QUARTER

Incredibly, Graham saved her most productive quarter until last, racking up a mammoth 12 touches to finish with 32 for the match. It all started with the opening centre clearance – her first one one for the day, kicking long inside 50 to a contest. In the opening five minutes she would get involved in the front half, flicking out a handball to a teammate, then later on, bursting out the back of a forward stoppage and rather than kicking drew and opponent and released by hand cleanly again.

In the seventh minute Graham won a free kick on the wing and thumped it forward before following up with a strong tackle, before a rare dropped mark under pressure, though she yet again followed up, won the ball and handballed clear. Another mark would come shortly after – though her kick was intercepted in the middle. While pushed under it a little too easily at the stoppage by Bella Davies midway through the term, Graham’s ability to get to space really separated her from her peers on the day.

She marked all alone inside 50 and unselfishly passed to the pocket finding a teammate which lead to a shot on goal. While in the middle, Graham got under an awkward bouncing ball, and though she could not take it, laid a strong tackle to lock it up. Her final touch came in the last minute with a quick handball in transition while on the move, capping off a fantastic day out in Ballarat for the top-ager.

FINAL THOUGHTS…

Marlo Graham is one of those players who has a really well balanced array of traits both offensively and defensively. She has the midfield nous to impact around the stoppages, which aids in her ability to impact there despite being a little smaller and lighter than some of her opponents. Graham’s ability to burst away or win it cleanly and sidestep opponents gains her separation, and she finds the ball with ease when in midfield.

Going forward, Graham projects as a player who has a lot of draftable qualities, and though given the depth of the Vic Metro midfield she will likely spend more time forward there, her defensive mindset and ability to hit the scoreboard when inside 50, allows her to still impact in that role. A smart and classy talent, she is one to watch for the rest of 2025.