BOTTOM-AGE Swans Academy midfielder Heidi de Saxe is putting together a really consistent season for North Shore Bombers through the AFL Sydney Women’s Premier Division, and that continued on the weekend as her Bombers blitzed the second last placed Parramatta Goannas by 98 points.

Playing on-ball and rotating forward, de Saxe finished with a game-high 23 disposals in the 98-0 shellacking. With a number of teammates missing due to the National Championships or injury, de Saxe was a premier ball-winner at the coalface and provided excellent defensive pressure all match. She was our Player Focus for Round 10.

PLAYER FOCUS:

2025 AFL Sydney Women’s Premier Division – Round 10:
North Shore Bombers 14.14 (98) def. Parramatta Goannas 0.0 (0)

#15 Heidi de Saxe (North Shore Bombers)
Stats: 23 disposals (14 kicks, 9 handballs) @ 50% CP & 78.3% DE, 1 mark, 4 clearances, 8 tackles, 2 frees for, 1 free against, 6 inside 50s, 94 AFL Fantasy points

FIRST QUARTER

Heidi de Saxe’s first touch came off hands and was a handball at a forward stoppage, and while it went to space, she followed up well with a strong tackle. These repeat acts and pressure around the ball were a common feature of her performance, with another inside 50 tackle to lock the ball up not long after.

Along with her defensive acts, it was clear that de Saxe reads the ball off hands well at stoppages, particularly around the ground when she move through traffic, take the ball at speed and keep going. She even took a bounce at one stage going forward, and though it spilt, grabbed it up and kicked to a leading target inside 50.

Another clean pickup later in the term saw de Saxe just throw the ball on the boot but it worked out well landing in the lap of a forward teammate. Her last couple of touches were handballs in between the arcs, either receiving it on the wing, or at high half-back where she could keep the ball in motion.

SECOND QUARTER

At the centre bounce, de Saxe competed strongly at ground level and laid a strong tackle, and then in the next stoppage, won the ball and handpassed away while being tackled. Winning the ball in close most of the time, de Saxe did well to protect the ball when over it at ground level and then again at half-forward when rested there. She won a free kick for in the back and hit up Lauren O’Sullivan for the first of many times in the match.

Showing off her football smarts in the middle, de Saxe read the play perfectly as the Goannas went to switch into the corridor. She forced her way into front position in a marking contest to try and intercept, and while not able to take it cleanly in the air, followed up to win it, burst forward and then in a bid to stop her, got tackled high. She delivered another end-on-end kick to O’Sullivan on the lead.

Spending more time in the forward half, de Saxe remained involved in the play, coming out to the forward 50 well and taking it off the bounce to handball to a teammate. She would win a couple of possessions within a chain shortly after, kicking to the pocket then getting boot to ball when tackled at that next stoppage but the kick bounced into the behind post.

Capping off a prolific first half, de Saxe would hit up Matilda Eder in the goalsquare off a handball receive at the top of 50 to provide yet another goal assist.

THIRD QUARTER

The Swans Academy youngster was quick to get going in the third term by gathering the ball; cleanly off a spill from a tackle and then handballed away. She would receive it back shortly after to deliver another long ball inside 50 to O’Sullivan for one of her five scoring shots.

The next couple of disposals were a little rushed as de Saxe was placed under immense pressure, but despite not being the cleanest of connections, most of the time she cleared the ball forward it still worked out. There was one direct turnover off a half-forward clearance, but otherwise went to either space or a teammate.

A touch unlucky to be pinged holding the ball at half-forward, de Saxe conceded her only free of the game in the third term, and had another couple of touches at the top of 50. She kicked to a contest in the pocket and then dished off from the ruck tap to allow a teammate to deliver deeper. Her last touch was a nice kick off the handball receive to hit up O’Sullivan once more on the lead just 15m out.

FOURTH QUARTER

While the fourth term was her quietest, de Saxe still managed to get involved, usually off the handball receive going forward in transition. She took it on the wing and burst away at one point and though the handball missed the target, her teammate was in enough space to mop up and charge away, while de Saxe applied a follow-up block.

The bottom-ager crunched an opponent in a strong tackle just inside 50, and then finished off the game with a clean pickup and got her hands free to get it away from a tackler to then follow up two handballs later while copping front-on contact.

The game ended with de Saxe having 18 effective disposals from her 23 and just one turnover in the game. All of her four clearances came from ball-ups with her ability to have more freedom to move around enabling her to work through traffic a highlight.

FINAL THOUGHTS…

Heidi de Saxe is a promising bottom-ager who earned a Rising Star nomination in Round 7 following a 22-disposal and three-goal performance. The inside midfielder only played one full game at Coates Talent League Girls level where she had 20 disposals, seven tackles and four inside 50s, coming off an impressive 2024 AFLW Under 16 Championships last year for the Swans Academy.

A natural inside midfielder, de Saxe has shown she can also play as a pressure forward, a role she rotates into with the Bombers. Highly rated internally for her training standards and attitude, the youngster applies what she learns on game day.

From what she showed against the Goannas, de Saxe thrives on the contested elements of the game but is able to break through stoppages thanks to her high footy IQ and fantastic defensive pressure. While further polish can come especially when having to dispose of the ball quickly, de Saxe is one of a number of promising Bombers who are plying their trade through the senior team at AFL Sydney Premier Division level.