WINNING sides made up three quarters of our Coates Talent League Girls Team of the Week for Round 4 with 11 of the 14 teams featuring in the team. No club had more than three representatives in an even spread across the weekend, with Geelong Falcons, Eastern Ranges, Oakleigh Chargers and Brisbane Lions Academy all having a trio of representatives.

Captaining the side this week is Gippsland Power bottom-ager Ava Deszcz who was our Round 4 Player of the Week. Deszcz slotted five goals from 22 disposals and eight marks in a dominant performance and is part of a forward 50 that had some mammoth goalkickers across the weekend.

Deszcz’s teammate Abby Hobson (24 disposals, eight marks, eight inside 50s and two goals) had the most touches of the front six, while competition leading goalkicker Bailee Martin slammed home another seven goals against the Calder Cannons to hold down the other key position forward post.

The other three forwards named were Geelong Falcons’ Grace Carroll (five goals), Giants Academy’s Sophia Gaukrodger (four) and Lions Academy’s Edie Fraser (four), with Carroll and Gaukrodger making their Team of the Week debuts.

The Queensland Academies also boast both back pocket players with Suns Academy’s Rhianna Ingram (32 disposals, four marks and six rebound 50s) and Lions Academy’s Jemma Foley (18 disposals, 10 rebound 50s) both filling important defensive holes. Few tall backs were able to earn spots in Round 4, with GWV Rebels’ Elsie Conroy and Tasmania Devils’ Ava Read – who swung forward to kick three goals – at full-back and centre half-back respectively.

Northern Knights’ Scarlett Johnson and Calder Cannons’ Chloe Baker-West completed the back six, with Johnson’s Northern Knights’ teammate Marlo Graham named on-ball after 32 disposals, six marks, six tackles and seven clearances. She lines up alongside fellow Vic Metro stars, Chloe Bown and Tayla McMillan. Bown (31 disposals, seven marks and 10 inside 50s) and McMillan (28 disposals, five marks, nine tackles, six clearances and six inside 50s) were both huge in their respective wins.

Rucking for another week was Eastern Ranges’ Josephine Bamford who got the nod, while a third Ranges prospect in Scout Semple was nudged out to a wing as Lions Academy’s Molly Ferguson slotted onto the other wing. Both provided plenty of run and cary from the stoppages.

The shortlist featured more than 40 players which showed just how deep the round’s individual performances were, but in the end, six interchange players and three emergencies were chosen. Midfielders Zoe Curry (Giants Academy) and Georgia Tyrrell (Geelong Falcons) made it into the 24-strong squad, while Priya Bowering – who has played on all three lines this year – and Georja Davies add important versatility.

Naturally given the firepower this weekend, it was worth adding some more off the bench with Greea McKeegan (Geelong Falcons) and Scarlett Bown (Oakleigh Chargers) just missing out on the starting side but starred enough to earn a place in the extended squad.

The three emergencies for Round 4 were Suns Academy’s Sunny Lappin, Geelong Falcons’ Stella Huxtable and Sandringham Dragons’ Macy Watkins.

2025 COATES TALENT LEAGUE GIRLS TEAM OF THE WEEK: ROUND 4

B: Rhianna Ingram (Suns Academy) – Elsie Conroy (GWV Rebels) – Jemma Foley (Lions Academy)
HB: Scarlett Johnson (Northern Knights) – Ava Read (Tasmania Devils) – Chloe Baker-West (Calder Cannons)
C: Molly Ferguson (Lions Academy) – Tayla McMillan (Eastern Ranges) – Scout Semple (Eastern Ranges)
HF: Ava Deszcz (Gippsland Power) (c) – Abby Hobson (Gippsland Power) – Sophia Gaukrodger (Giants Academy)
F: Grace Carroll (Geelong Falcons) – Bailee Martin (Oakleigh Chargers) – Edie Fraser (Lions Academy)
R: Josie Bamford (Eastern Ranges) – Chloe Bown (Oakleigh Chargers) – Marlo Graham (Northern Knights)
INT: Priya Bowering (Tasmania Devils) – Scarlett Bown (Oakleigh Chargers) – Zoe Curry (Giants Academy) – Georja Davies (Suns Academy) – Greea McKeegan (Geelong Falcons) – Georgia Tyrrell (Geelong Falcons)

EMG: Sunny Lappin (Suns Academy) – Stella Huxtable (Geelong Falcons) – Macy Watkins (Sandringham Dragons)