NATIONAL Academy member Madeleine Quinn is a bonafide ruck who has been honing her forward craft this season, and she produced one of her most complete games in a tough loss to North Shore Bombers. Representing the UTS Bats in a thrilling Round 12 AFL Sydney Women’s Premier Division encounter, Quinn booted three goals from 15 disposals and assisted in the ruck as well.

A talented prospect with elite athleticism for her 185cm frame, Quinn has already proven herself around the ground. Though not a massive accumulator, she has a high impact with her running patterns and is a better contested mark than a lot of her contemporaries who do find more of the football. We took a look at her performance for our AFL Sydney Women’s Premier Division Player Focus.

PLAYER FOCUS:

2025 AFL Sydney Women’s Premier Division – Round 12:
UTS Bats 7.8 (50) def. by North Shore Bombers 8.4 (52)

#17 Madeleine Quinn (UTS Bats)
Stats: 15 disposals (11 kicks, 4 handballs) @ 73.3% CP & 66.7% DE, 3 marks (1 contested), 9 hitouts, 3 clearances, 3 tackles, 3 frees for, 1 free against, 4 inside 50s, 3 goals, 1 behind, 90 AFL Fantasy points

FIRST QUARTER

Madeleine Quinn started forward and took a nice uncontested mark to get the confidence up early. She delivered a well-weighted kick to the pocket even if it did come off hands. It was not long before she hit the scoreboard, winning it out of the ruck close to goal, bursting around an opponent and throwing it on the boot for her first major.

She spent a lot of the first term in the front half, but still won a few hitouts and laid a strong tackle in the forward pocket, harassing a North Shore defender into fumbling. The opposition was learning to shark her taps given her obvious height and athletic advantage, but then she responded with a ripping goal on the run from 40m. It was a classy finish from the tall who loomed as a big danger for the opposition.

SECOND QUARTER

Quinn’s second term also started with an uncontested mark, taking it in the middle and then kicking to a one-on-one down the ground. She would go up for a third mark not long after but could not quite hold it and was paid a free kick. From there, she put it to the hotspot 15m out where a teammate won a free straight in front of goal.

Spending more time up the ground, Quinn had an eye-catching moment bursting off half-back where she took it cleanly off the deck and was able to dish off a quick handball. Her ruckwork was clean, though life was made difficult by the opposition reading it time and time again. She was able to follow up one such sharked tap with a big tackle but gave away a free kick. Her last involvement in the term saw the tall force a deliberate out of bounds call at half-forward and she earned the free, played on and put it deep inside 50.

THIRD QUARTER

The third term was statistically Quinn’s quietest of the match, but it is also due to the ball being up the other end. North Shore piled on four goals to two to go from an eight-point half-time deficit to a five-point three quarter time lead. Despite a quieter term, Quinn would kick a third goal, taking it cleanly off the deck about 40m out, bursting forward away from a would-be tackler and finishing on the run slickly.

She would win another hitout comfortably in the middle that would be sharked again, before another couple of late disposals in the term. A rare handball off after a tackle from the ruck also earned her a free kick where put the ball to a one-on-one.

FOURTH QUARTER

Finishing off the game strongly, Quinn took her third mark for the match and had a technically nice kick going forward, though it was only spoiled by a great piece of defending from the Bombers. Using her height inside 50, Quinn’s superior reach saw her control a high bouncing ball over a smaller opponent to tap to her own advantage and then kick to the pocket. From there, she followed up to win it again and handball to a teammate who took a shot on goal but just fell short and was intercepted in the goalsquare.

A decisive centre bounce hitout followed not long after, and then Quinn showed her clean hands at ground level, winning the ball and attempting to dish off to a teammate, but an opponent got her hand in the way and locked it up. Quinn’s last few involvements were more as an athletic tall midfielder, standing around the outside stoppages as a teammate took the ruck contest, and was able to gather in the pocket, take a punt at the goal from the tightest of angles and very nearly kicked the match-winner. unfortunately it was punched into the post by a North Shore defender, denying Quinn the chance of a fourth goal.

CLOSING THOUGHTS…

Madeleine Quinn is a unique prospect in this year’s AFLW Draft because she has the height of a genuine ruck, and outstanding athleticism. She is strong overhead and though still developing her forward craft, showed on the weekend she can do a lot of damage on the scoreboard. Her ability to convert on the run with a devastating finish not once, but twice, from long-range really caught the eye.

Compared to other rucks in the draft crop, Quinn is not necessarily a high production player particularly at groundlevel, but she has a high impact-per-possession and is the best aerial prospect of those in the position. Given her massive upside, expect her to only get better as the season – and her career – goes on, and the talented tall is tied to the Sydney Swans Academy.