ANOTHER season of SANFL Women’s action is just around the corner, and while the league year is a little later than usual, South Australian footy fans have the brand new AAMI Talent League to look forward to starting February 28. As has become an annual tradition for Rookie Me Central, we name our top juniors from the league to keep an eye on for the year ahead with the only criteria being either top-age or younger.

We finish our top 15 players to watch countdown – which will run over the three weeks to finish on the eve of the Talent League season – with last year’s SANFLW Grand Final Best on Ground and South Australian MVP, Emma Charlton.

South Adelaide Women's, South Australia GirlsMidfielder-Forward

Emma Charlton

Height: 160cm

Weight: -

DOB: 19-06-2008

Positional Analysis

Charlton is a natural ball-winner through the midfield and she showed in a full-time role through there – only resting forward – that she could extract it at will and stand up on the biggest of stages. While he traits lend to the fact Charlton could realistically play anywhere on the field, her secondary position is up forward, where her mix of defensive pressure and natural footy smarts rise to the fore.

2025 Stats

SANFLW | 21.1 disposals | 2.8 marks | 7.6 tackles | 5.2 clearances | 3.1 inside 50s | 1.8 rebound 50s | 4 goals (14 games)

AFLW U18s | 24.5 disposals | 2.5 marks | 7.3 tackles | 6.5 clearances | 3.5 inside 50s | 2.0 rebound 50s | 1 goal (4 games)

Key Strengths

Finding strengths in Charlton’s game is easy, and it is more about identifying areas of improvement. She can find the ball in any number of ways, be a first, second or third-possession winner out of the stoppage, as well as getting her hands on it around the coalface or in space. Add in the fact her tackle numbers are off the charts, and she is chasing down opponents as much as she is beating them the loose ball. Her clean hands and footy IQ are brilliant, and she sets up a lot of goalscoring opportunities, while digging deep and running out games strongly. All that, alongside being a big-game player through her SANFLW Grand Final Best on Ground and MVP at the national championships.

2026

Charlton is the safest selection in the AFLW Draft crop. While the argument over pick one is competitive amongst the top three – including her teammate Taya Maxwell – there is little argument that if you could choose a player that is guaranteed to be a star at the next level, that Charlton is the best choice. The gap between her best and worst performances are slim, she does just about everything right, and she runs both ways to impact the game. The sister of Adelaide’s Teah can draw some similarities, but is also more advanced at the same age, and looms as one of the stars of not only the SANFLW, but of the 2026 AFLW Draft.

Summary

Emma Charlton is a player who will gain plenty of traction throughout the season, and having already announced herself at SANFLW level and the national championships, she is well ahead of the pack. In what is a very strong South Adelaide team gunning for a three-peat, Charlton headlines a great group of youngsters and is deserving of top spot in our SANFLW countdown of players to watch in the upcoming season.