RIKISHA Nannup has been one of West Perth’s most reliable performers through the opening rounds of the WAFLW season, and a 20-disposal, six-mark effort in the Falcons’ tight eight-point win over South Fremantle at Joondalup continued a consistent start to her top-age campaign.

>> 2026 AFLW Draft Q&A: Rikisha Nannup (West Perth)

Rikisha Nannup

Club: West Perth
Height: 165cm
Date of Birth: 23/04/2008

STRENGTHS:

+ Outside game
+ Running capacity
+ Smart ball use
+ Impact-per-possession
+ Clean hands

IMPROVEMENTS:

– Contested groundball work
– Kicking efficiency under pressure

ROUND 5: vs. South Fremantle

Statistics: 20 disposals (16 kicks, 4 handballs), 6 marks, 2 tackles, 4 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50

FIRST QUARTER

Nannup started on the wing and made an immediate impression, marking cleanly at half-back in the opening minute and following up to apply a handball – clean, quick hands that set the tone for her afternoon. She received the ball again at half-back and moved it forward effectively, and a moment at nine minutes where she couldn’t hold a mark but recovered well – winning the handball receive and kicking inside 50 – showed her composure when things didn’t go to plan.

Her best first-quarter sequence came in the 16th minute. An uncontested mark in defence was followed by a crisp kick to the wing, and she then followed the play all the way up to win a handball receive on the wing and kicked forward to a one-on-one. Four touches in a passage that covered the whole ground showed her running capacity and willingness to stay involved.

SECOND QUARTER

Starting on a wing against Ash Gomes, Nannup was engaged in a physical contest all quarter. An early tackle forced a turnover but she recovered to win the ball at half-forward, kicked inside 50 – only for an unlucky bounce to send it out of bounds in the forward pocket. Her kick down the wing in the fourth minute was smothered and out of bounds, but she was alert from the subsequent throw-in to win an effective handball.

The term had its challenges. A fierce tackle at 12 minutes sent her out of play, and as the quarter progressed she matched up on fellow State Academy member Marie Polimeno – marking in front of her at half-back and kicking to a contest, which was spoiled out of bounds.

THIRD QUARTER

A mixed but impactful quarter. Nannup went for a mark from the kickout in the opening minute and was nudged forward to let it pass over her hands – a frustrating moment – but her best contribution of the game came shortly after in the sixth minute when a well-placed kick deep to the pocket off a handball receive from Lunay Van Den Heever created the goal assist to Zoe Huggett, the clearest example of her ability to put the ball in the right spot.

She marked on the wing a minute later and kicked to a contest through the middle, gathered again on the wing but was intercepted at half-back by Madison Evans. The quarter had its loose moments – a rushed handball under pressure and getting run down trying to create space – but the goal assist early in the term was the kind of contribution that shows her football sense when the game opens up for her.

FOURTH QUARTER

Nannup started on the wing against South Fremantle’s Tori Groth and was busy in a final term that ultimately proved decisive for West Perth. A handball receive on the wing converted to a well-placed kick to a half-forward contest was clean, and a mark on the defensive side of the wing followed by a composed kick to the wing was more of the same tidy work.

Her moment of the quarter came in the 13th minute – a fantastic tackle at half-back that forced a holding the ball free kick and gave West Perth possession, earning her 20th disposal of the afternoon with the subsequent kick to the wing. The final passage of her game was unfortunate: a dropped mark against her direct opponent led to a 50-metre penalty conceded, and she came off for a rest with four minutes remaining.

SUMMARY

Nannup is building a strong case through the first five rounds of the season, with this performance another example of the consistent, intelligent wing work she has been producing all year. The goal assist to Huggett in the third term – reading the pass off a handball receive and finding the pocket from the wing – was the clearest moment of the kind of football intelligence that makes her an interesting draft prospect.

The areas to work on are clear. Her left-foot option is limited, which opponents will exploit when able to force her onto that side, and her contested work at ground level remains an area to build. There were also a couple of loose moments through the third quarter where the ball slipped through or was rushed.
But the marking ability, the running capacity, the clean hands and the smart decision-making have been consistent themes across five rounds now.

Coming close to cracking in for a game for Western Australia at last year’s national championships and starting 2026 as a stronger and more experienced player, Nannup is likely to be in the draft conversation as the season unfolds.