IN DOUR conditions at times, top-age Giants Academy member Aysha Sanchez ran her way to 31 disposals including a ripping goal in torrential rain during East Coast Eagles’ 7.13 (55) to 0.0 (0) victory over Parramatta Goannas in Round 15 of the AFL Sydney Women’s Premier Division.

Sanchez hails out of the Bomaderry Tigers, with the teenager’s local club more than two hours away from where she played on the weekend just north of Nowra on the New South Wales coast. In the pouring rain or when it cleared lake-like feel under foot, Sanchez used her run and carry to full advantage. We took a look at her performance in our latest Player Focus.

PLAYER FOCUS:

2025 AFL Sydney Women’s Premier Division – Round 15:
East Coast Eagles 7.13 (55) def. Parramatta Goannas 0.0 (0)

#27 Aysha Sanchez (East Coast Eagles)
Stats: 31 disposals (19 kicks, 12 handballs) @ 58% CP & 45.2% DE, 4 marks, 2 clearances, 2 tackles, 2 frees for, 1 free against, 6 inside 50s, 1 goal, 106 AFL Fantasy points

FIRST HALF

Starting on-ball, the smaller bodied Sanchez did not shy away from the challenge in front of her. The first touch came early in the opening minute where via a handball receive she delivered a low kick inside 50. Her disposal throughout the game was a clear improvement area, with the raw but athletic prospect also battling with the tough conditions.

However her hands in the wet were exceptional, able to be a one-touch player most of the time which she showed throughout the four quarters, even when under pressure. Just three minutes into the match, Sanchez had set up her first goal via a handball receive to Bryany Parker following a mark inside 50. Quite a few times throughout the first half Sanchez would be clean but due to both the elements and her developing skills, could not always get the ball on point.

What Sanchez did well was in extracting the ball, not necessarily in clearances – she was only credited with two – but quite often it would get stuck in the heavy ground and while others were fumbling around, the Eagles top-ager swooped in to nab it with one take. Her composed take in the back 50 early in the second term before switching to the open space was testament to just that, able to open up the ground even without a precise, pinpoint pass.

Sanchez played to the conditions well and then set up a second goal with her best passage of play in the first half. Picking up cleanly about 45m out, the top-ager sized up her options and placed a great kick to the goalsquare where Kayla Treadgold Simons would mark and then goal back to kick another goal for the Eagles.

SECOND HALF

Sanchez’s second half started with more of the same, and her first involvement was working into space where she marked and then put a low kick inside 50 for a teammate to gather. A strong tackle to lock the ball up inside 50 and earn a free out of it enabled Sanchez to put the ball to open space. She would win it all over the front half of the ground, looking for meterage both through run and kicking to space created on the turnover.

No doubt the 17-year-old has great courage, often throwing herself at the loose ball and firing it out for a teammate to win, even when the weather went from bad to worse. As the fourth term commenced, the rain became torrential, and somehow receiving the ball by hand and then with parts luck and smarts, managed to slam home a ridiculous goal – not that it was easy to work that out with the heavy rain.

Sanchez tried her luck for a second major not long after as the rain began to settle down, but this time miscued the kick and it went out on the full from 35m out. She would continue to win the ball on her way to 31 touches, running into ball-winning positions where teammates would dish off to her and she would deliver down the field to space.

Her third and final mark came late in the match when behind the ball, she was able to get into a good spot to take it cleanly then thumped it back down the corridor effectively to a teammate. Her last touch was a contested handball away under pressure at ground level.

CLOSING THOUGHTS…

Sanchez is a raw prospect who is still developing the technical elements of football, but has some exciting traits for the future. Boasting natural speed and a clear high running capacity with her ground coverage, the top-ager has no problems with working her opponents off their feet.

Her clean hands – especially given the conditions – were sublime and she was more often than not a one-touch player. Clearly right-side dominant given her preference to use the outside of the boot rather than the left, there is still much for Sanchez to work on, but as she showed not just in the game on the weekend, but for the Giants Academy, she will develop those areas in time.