SYDNEY Swans Academy produced a dominant first half to run away with a comprehensive victory over the Tasmania Devils at Blacktown International Sportspark on Saturday, winning 11.10 (76) to 2.5 (17). The Swans kicked eight goals to none in the opening two quarters to lead by 56 points at the main break before a more even second half, with the Devils to their credit competing hard after half-time. We took note of some of the players from each side who caught the eye.

SWANS ACADEMY:

#2 Evie Bowie
Midfielder/Forward | 170cm | 31/12/2008

Stats: 22 disposals, 6 tackles, 3 clearances, 6 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50, 1 goal

Bowie was busy and relentlessly offensive from the first bounce, using her running game and forward thrust to generate inside 50s at every opportunity. An early 1-2 with Haley inside 50 set the tone, and she backed that up throughout the first half which included a crisp delivery to Lolita Savala in the second term and a forward handball out of traffic that led to another goal showing exactly how dangerous she is when running with purpose. Her six inside 50s were a fair reflection of the offensive intent she brings, and she also delivered a well-balanced kick under pressure out of defence in the final term when the Swans needed composure. An offensive engine who never stops running.

#4 Lila Micheletti
Wing | 170cm | 07/10/2007

Stats: 18 disposals, 4 marks, 5 tackles, 1 inside 50, 1 rebound 50

The over-ager was disciplined and physical in her wing role, with her tackling pressure one of the game’s consistent highlights. She pressed all over the ground with a fierce tackle at half-back early, and almost taking a strong intercept mark from the kickout before winning a free kick at the top of 50 and kicking to Grace Parsons 15 metres out. Her standout moment came in the second term when she took an intercept mark at the top of 50 and immediately converted it into a goal assist to Gabriela Waechter.

#10 Aurelia Russell
Midfielder/Forward | 160cm | 03/12/2008

Stats: 22 disposals, 1 tackle, 3 clearances, 4 inside 50s, 1 goal, 1 behind

Russell’s movement in traffic is as clean as anyone in the competition – she has an instinct for finding the right spot outside stoppages that is hard to coach. A goal assist by hand to Lucinda Watson in the first term showed her forward nous, and she followed that up in the second quarter by slotting a goal on the run from 15 metres after working brilliantly to get to the right spot inside 50. A sidestep in the third term – selling candy and then kicking forward to a goal – underlined the footballing IQ and improvisation that makes her a handful. Plenty of upside still to come.

#15 Emma Haley
Midfielder/Forward | 160cm | 15/10/2008

Stats: 18 disposals, 2 marks, 6 tackles, 3 clearances, 3 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50, 1 goal

Haley set the tone early with a run-down tackle on the wing inside the first minute – the kind of defensive act that tells you a player is fully switched on from the bounce. She was a menace all first quarter, combining the 1-2 with Bowie inside 50, applying another big tackle inside 50 at the 16-minute mark, and slotting a goal off the half-forward line late in the term off a handball receive. Six tackles across the game shows her relentlessness never let up, and she was ultra-clean at ground level throughout, firing off sharp handballs in traffic and shrugging a would-be tackler on the wing in the third term.

#18 Ashleigh Barlow
Defender/Midfielder | 174cm | 06/06/2008

Stats: 22 disposals, 2 marks, 2 tackles, 1 clearance, 2 inside 50s, 5 rebound 50s

Barlow was the Swans’ most reliable defensive presence, accumulating five rebound 50s, while moving the ball cleanly out of the backline. Quick hands off on the wing to a running teammate in the first term gave the Swans momentum, and a strong intercept mark from the opening centre clearance of the third quarter was one of her highlights on the day. She started the fourth term on-ball to showcase extra versatility. Her kicking was measured and composed under pressure throughout, and she handled the ball well even in tight situations with opponents applying pressure.

#21 Emma McCallum
Defender | 173cm | 13/03/2009

Stats: 16 disposals, 3 marks, 3 tackles, 2 clearances, 1 inside 50

The bottom-ager covered enormous ground across half-forward and half-back, consistently presenting as an option and moving the ball with clean, decisive hands. Her positioning throughout was smart – she pushed up to get involved and found teammates with a nice short pass from good ball-winning spots. A strong tackle to lock the ball up in the third term showed the defensive side of her game, before she took a mark on the wing and kicked inside 50, then charged down the ground to kick into the corridor late. A tidy, composed bottom-ager who reads the game well for her age.

#27 Amaia Wain
Ruck | 180cm | 31/08/2007

Stats: 14 disposals, 4 marks, 4 tackles, 34 hitouts, 3 clearances

Wain’s 34 hitouts dominated the ruck contest and her decisiveness around the ground was equally impressive. A strong mark in the centre with a crisp 45-degree kick in the third minute gave the Swans early momentum, and she continued to influence well beyond the tap – a quick centre clearance through the middle in the second term, intercept marks in the third and fourth quarters kicked to advantage, and four tackles underlining the pressure she applies at ground level. The word that best describes her ruck work is decisive – she is not just winning the ball, she is winning the right ball. With the AFLW Preseason Draft on the horizon, performances like this keep her firmly in that conversation.

TASMANIA DEVILS:

#6 Matilda Lange
Midfielder | 170cm | 30/01/2009

Stats: 28 disposals, 2 marks, 6 tackles, 9 clearances, 4 inside 50s, 4 rebound 50s, 1 goal, 1 behind

The bottom-ager is fast becoming the standout name in the 2027 draft conversation, and another outing of this calibre only adds to that billing. Nine clearances from 28 disposals says everything about how she impacts – dominant on the inside, strong under pressure, winning ball that others can’t get close to. She reads off hands instinctively and covers the ground in both directions, with a superb long looping handball in the seventh minute of the third term a highlight of her ball use. A strong mark at centre half-forward in the final quarter led to a thumping kick inside 50, before she finished the game with a run-down tackle on Haley at the 20-minute mark that set up the Devils’ final goal on the siren.

#8 Olivia Lyons
Defender | 174cm | 20/07/2009

Stats: 17 disposals, 4 marks, 3 tackles, 6 rebound 50s

The bottom-ager was composed and reliable in the Tassie backline, collecting six rebound 50s while rarely putting a foot wrong under pressure. She dealt well with the Swans’ forward entries — spoiling cleanly one-on-one and providing a steady rebound option off the kickouts – and showed versatility with an intercept mark at half-forward in the final term converted with a clean short pass. Not flashy, but her composure with the ball under pressure gives the Devils a solid foundation behind the ball. A promising bottom-ager to keep tracking.

#13 Imogen Verdouw
Ruck | 182cm | 07/11/2009

Stats: 11 disposals, 3 marks, 4 tackles, 12 hitouts, 2 clearances, 2 inside 50s

The bottom-age ruck was competitive against Wain when given her moments, showing a nice jump and clean timing in the second quarter. A quick kick inside 50 in the third term proved crucial – leading to a Tassie goal a couple of disposals later – and she broke through at half-forward in the final quarter to show some forward instinct. Her intercept mark in the middle of the ground with a clean short pass to CHF was a smart read of the ball. Raw in some elements as you’d expect from a bottom-ager taking on Wain, but the potential is evident, and at 182cm she has the physical tools to develop into a genuine ruck prospect.