JUST one WAFL Women’s team went 2-0 after the second round of action on Good Friday, with the evenness of the competition on display. Perth came into the 2026 season after a Round 1 bye, while Swan Districts has set the tone for the year ahead. We took a look at the West Australian Summer Squad members who ran out for their respective sides in Round 2.

All scouting notes are the opinion of the individual author.

SWAN DISTRICTS:

#3 Grace Hirst
Defender/Midfielder | 165cm | 18/03/2008

Stats: 12 disposals, 4 marks, 1 tackle, 1 inside 50

The top-ager backed up a promising Round 1 performance with a really good balance between offensive and defensive work. She spent time on dangerous ex-Docker small Makaela Tuhakaraina and limited her to seven touches and no goals, while also peeling off her opponents and getting aggressive from half-back. She is really neat and precise with her short kicks, and Hirst’s skills and smarts coming off half-back really shone through. With the game done and dusted, Hirst got a chance to start the fourth term on-ball.

#24 Summer Ajduk
Wing/Forward | 171cm | 12/11/2008

Stats: 15 disposals, 5 marks, 3 tackles, 5 inside 50s

It is credit to Swan Districts’ depth that Ajduk wasn’t a walk-up starter, but she got her chance when Alana Barba was a late out enabling the top-ager to grasp her opportunity. Her first half in particular was enormous, and while her disposal at times was a little hit or miss, her work rate and spread was particularly noteworthy. She rotated between the wing and up forward, and found plenty of the ball, before a quieter second half but having shown plenty to suggest she could hold her spot.

SOUTH FREMANTLE:

#31 Marie Polimeno
Defender | 169cm | 06/07/2008

Stats: 10 disposals, 5 marks, 2 tackles, 1 inside 50

It was a tough day for Polimeno who had a lot more pressure on her with 41 inside 50s from the Swans. She does her best work with ball in hand, and zoned off while being an option to switch to, where she could try and create some run and carry. Not having a lot of space, Polimeno’s best moment came in the fourth term where she nullified a contest against two opponents, got it out of bounds at half-back and then won it off hands from the subsequent ball-in.

PEEL THUNDER:

#6 Zaide Wilson
Key Defender | 181cm | 26/06/2009

Stats: 7 disposals, 3 marks, 1 tackle, 1 hitout

Not a lot of the ball but did her best when asked upon under pressure, taking a few safe marks and going head-to-head with Nomlatyu at different points. Wilson is mobile enough to face smaller opponents too, though her highlight was saving a goal on the goalline by rushing it through just in the nick of time.

#8 Tiama Collard
Forward/Midfielder | 164cm | 08/04/2009

Stats: 19 disposals, 3 marks, 7 tackles

Collard started the match at half-forward, but did get her opportunity on-ball, particularly in the last quarter. She is so clean at ground level and very quick to hand or foot, relishing from getting up and around the ball more. She adds that touch of class and her kicking action is just so natural. While doing the bulk of damage with ball in hand, Collard’s defensive pressure was sky high, laying seven tackles and doing everything you would hope for from a pressure forward or at the stoppages.

#26 Charlie Fletcher
Midfielder/Wing | 167cm | 04/02/2009

Stats: 15 disposals, 3 marks, 5 tackles, 3 inside 50s

Spent the bulk of her time on-ball rather than her familiar wing role, though still covered plenty of ground arround the field. Still building her strength up more to compete against the bigger bodies, she looked good once she could find gaps, and her reading of the play to get into ball-winning positions is exceptional. Fletcher can further improve her work under pressure – particularly with an opposite foot – but given it was her first game predominantly inside, she will learn plenty from it and be able to really maximise her athletic gifts in time.

#30 Charlise Adams
Defender | 164cm | 19/10/2008

Stats: 6 disposals, 1 mark, 2 tackles, 2 inside 50s

Not a massive accumulator but just did her role, taking a mark at half-back at one point and swinging around to thump a kick downfield. Locked to predominantly lockdown on an opponent in the same way that Heidi Ireland did last season.

EAST FREMANTLE:

#18 Cienna Leslie
Defender | 163cm | 27/02/2008

Stats: 18 disposals, 4 marks, 4 tackles, 4 inside 50s

Leslie has been handed the Maya Louvel-Finn role at the Sharks, where she is accountable to an opponent, but can have the licence to run off and provide some drive down the ground too. After a quieter start to the game, Leslie showed great strength one-on-one and came alive from the second term onwards, winning some critical contests and clunking some big marks. Not quite as polished as Louvel-Finn, Leslie showed she has room to grow, and her performance was certainly worth noting.

#34 Avuya Nomlatyu
Forward/Ruck | 184cm | 10/10/2008

Stats: 8 disposals, 1 mark, 1 tackle, 3 hitouts

Played the bulk of her game forward and rotated into the ruck occasionally, Nomlatyu presented at different times leading up at the ball carrier. She missed a couple of potential opportunities to win the pill, but competed well at ground level and even worked right up the ground at different points. Nearly kicked an early goal with a set shot from 40m but it was just touched on the goalline and stayed in play.

#37 Olivia McCay
Wing | 172cm | 22/06/2009

Stats: 22 disposals, 1 mark, 5 tackles, 2 inside 50s, 1 goal, 1 behind

Possessing a phenomenal work rate, McCay was seemingly everywhere running her opponents ragged off a wing. McCay had the ball on a string through the first half and was getting involved across the board, even slotting a nice first term goal through a classy finish. The winger’s repeat contest work and sheer determination ensured she continually got the game on her terms, and with further improvement to come, the bottom-ager ticks a few boxes for the future.

PERTH:

#2 Mia Carlshausen
Defender | 171cm | 10/04/2008

Stats: 17 disposals, 6 marks, 2 tackles

One of the most impressive West Australian Summer Squad members from Round 2, Carlshausen picked up where she left off as the Demons played their first match for points in 2026. Though the game itself was a low-scoring slog, Carlshausen added run and skill coming off half-back. With any time or space, she can cut up the opposition with darting passes, and is not afraid to receive the ball, take a bounce and then hit a long target down the wing to break open the game. Her vision and kicking stand out, and it was a promising first-up game by the only National Academy member who featured over the weekend.

#48 Mel Grage
Small Forward | 160cm | 28/03/2008

Stats: 2 disposals, 4 tackles, 1 inside 50

It was a tough first-up match for Grage who worked hard inside 50 but struggled to impact the game. She only had the two touches and scoring was at a premium given the minimal goals kicked in the contest. Fortunately Grage does bring the non-negotiables as evidenced by her four tackles, so even if the game is not going her way, she will always add defensive pressure.

SUBIACO:

#37 Marley Kelman
Tall Defender | 170cm | 31/03/2009

Stats: 9 disposals, 3 tackles, 1 inside 50

Up the other end in Round 2 after being a forward target in Round 1, Kelman showed off some nice versatility by being able to cope back there. She was a little rough with her disposal, but she moved well and applied great pressure both through tackling and implied pressure that forced turnovers or mistakes by the opposition. Kelman is still a work in progress but has some exciting traits that can be built upon for the future.

WEST PERTH:

#13 Rikisha Nannup
Wing | 165cm | 23/04/2008

Stats: 16 disposals, 2 marks, 2 tackles, 3 inside 50s

Nannup has started the WAFLW season in fine form, and was once again amongst the top dozen Falcons in the game. Really solidifying her place as a winger, Nannup pops up with smart decisions and slick disposals that open up the play for her teammates. She is not afraid to run with ball in hand and a lovely kick inside 50 to Megan Norbury early in the game lead to a goal, with a number of other plays providing scoring chances for her side.

#15 Lunay Van Den Heever
Forward | 170cm | 08/12/2008

Stats: 9 disposals, 3 marks, 2 inside 50s, 2 goals, 1 behind

While not having a heap of touches, Van Den Heever made the most of her opportunities with two goals including the final one of the game. Her first major was after a marking contest in the goalsquare where she won it off the pack and snapped truly, before setting up debutant Miley Hynes with her first WAFLW goal. Seizing the moment in the final minute, Van Den Heever made no mistake from the 35m set shot, drilling a goal after earlier missing a chance from a tight angle. Overall one of the better players in the side.

#16 Tayah Nicholson
Defender | 173cm | 10/01/2008

Stats: 10 disposals, 1 mark, 5 tackles

Just a fierce player who cannons into opponents to win the ball or force a turnover, and she was once again incredibly strong coming off half-back. She is still building her game, having made some mistakes here or there, but one guarantee with Nicholson is she will always put her body on the line and her head over the ball. Took a crucial intercept mark on the goalline at one stage late in the second term as well.

#49 Jasmine Giles
Forward/Ruck | 187cm | 01/01/2009

Stats: 11 disposals, 2 marks, 1 tackle, 12 hitouts

Battled hard in what was a really tough assignment against a quality ruck in Matilda Husband and then up forward against a number of experienced tall defenders. Giles has the size and mobility to pose problems for the opposition, and with more experience under her belt, will improve and adapt to the bigger bodies. She still did well around the ground, and at 187cm will always win her fair share of hitouts.

CLAREMONT:

#25 India Bonadeo
Tall Defender | 177cm | 05/08/2008

Stats: 10 disposals, 2 marks, 1 tackle, 1 behind

It was great to see the talented utility come in for her second WAFLW game, with Bonadeo a player posing plenty of potential for the year ahead. She was stationed in defence where she attacked the ball well and held a high line at different points, even getting forward to have a shot on goal from long-range that missed. Her goal-saving spoil in the final few minutes from a Zoe Huggett kick that was sailing through proved a match-winning moment, and while she did slip over a few times in the conditions, overall had a promising performance.