ROUND 17 of the WAFL Women’s season produced some eye-catching individual performances as the competition heads towards its business end. We took note of how the West Australian Summer Squad members fared across each game.

All notes are the opinion of the individual author.

PERTH:

#2 Mia Carlshausen (Forward)

Stats: 14 disposals, 5 marks, 1 tackle, 6 inside 50s and 2 goals

Deployed forward in a change of role, Carlshausen showed she is just as dangerous in attack as she is in defence. She was a threat early, marking just inside 50 and playing on to launch a long-range shot that nearly snuck through, and followed that with a clever soccer goal in the goalsquare in the second term after nudging her opponent under the ball. Her best individual moment came in the third quarter when she marked 50 metres out, immediately played on, burst away and slammed home a classy goal. She was a consistent attacking threat throughout, gathering on the wing and driving inside 50 with purpose.

#28 Niah Catto (Defender)

Stats: 13 disposals, 7 tackles and 1 inside 50

Catto was a defensive workhorse, racking up seven tackles in a high-pressure performance. She was aggressive in the contest from the outset, with a fantastic tackle on the wing to win a holding the ball free followed by a neat short pass into the corridor one of the highlights of her first term. She pushed up the ground effectively throughout, showing good composure under pressure with quick hands in defence and an important spoil in the final quarter. Her tackling pressure inside defensive 50 was a consistent feature late in the game.

#48 Mel Grage (Forward)

Stats: 10 disposals, 2 marks and 3 behinds

Grage worked hard in the forward half without the reward she deserved on the scoreboard. She applied a tackle on the attacking side of the wing late in the first term, and in the final quarter her soccering along the ground to half-forward led directly to a Natalie House goal. She had a couple of shots on goal that just missed, including a quick snap off the left that went narrowly right and a terrible bounce near the goalsquare that produced a behind off a snap across the face.

EAST FREMANTLE:

#18 Cienna Leslie (Defender/Forward)

Stats: 11 disposals and 1 mark

Leslie had a mixed bag of an afternoon, spending time on House at different points in the second term and while she did get outpointed in a marking contest and then ended up sore from attempting a tackle, she bounced back and had a greater influence further up the field. She showed her strength by standing up in tackles and dishing off effectively, and even linking up between the arcs to try and set up forward thrusts.

#37 Olivia McCay (Wing)

Stats: 17 disposals, 2 marks and 1 tackle

McCay covered the ground well off a wing, taking an intercept mark at the top of the 50 and kicking to the hotspot in the first term. She showed her clean hands with a nice sidestep and quick dish off, and delivered a well-placed kick to the centre half-forward in the second quarter. She was effective when moving to the back pocket in the final term, taking a mark and executing a short pass cleanly.

SOUTH FREMANTLE:

#8 Alexis Edgley (Defender)

Stats: 5 disposals, 1 mark, 1 tackle and 1 hitout

Edgley played a quiet but composed role in deep defence, kicking cleanly from the back half and getting a handball away under pressure. Her best moment came in the final quarter with a really strong one-on-one mark on the defensive side of the middle, followed by an effective lateral kick. Predominantly a lockdown tall, Edgley has nice athleticism to compete against most opponents.

#24 Marie Polimeno (Defender)

Stats: 8 disposals, 3 marks, 3 tackles and 1 inside 50

Polimeno worked hard from defence, providing an intercepting force and switch option alike. She pushed up to half-forward in the second term and applied importnat pressure on her opponent going for goal. While a long kick off her non-preferred left went out on the full in the second quarter, she competed hard throughout and her tackling pressure was a consistent feature.

SUBIACO:

#10 Caitlin Boss(Wing)

Stats: 13 disposals and 2 inside 50s

Boss was busy off the wing, covering the ground well and remaining dangerous on the outside throughout. She was caught holding the ball in the second term after a good gather, but responded well, winning a high free kick in the final quarter and showing quick hands at half-back. Her ability to find space and keep the ball moving was a consistent feature.

#21 Macy Fair (Defender)

Stats: 12 disposals, 3 marks and 2 tackles

Fair provided good transition from defence to attack, taking a strong mark in the defensive 50 and thumping to half-back, and showing quick hands in tight situations throughout. She marked on the wing in the final quarter and executed a neat short kick, while a quick kick to half-forward as she was bumped was effective. A composed and reliable performance from the over-age athletic talent.

#23 Beatrice Crane (Defender)

Stats: 10 disposals, 1 mark and 1 inside 50

Crane was effective coming out of the back half, despite not accumulating a heap of ball. Her best moment came in the second term when she rushed a crucial behind to save a potential goal before kicking long to half-back effectively. She took a good intercept mark in the defensive 50 in the final quarter and kept her disposal simple.

#37 Marley Kelman (Forward)

Stats: 13 disposals, 3 marks, 3 tackles, 2 inside 50s, 2 goals and 1 behind

Kelman had her best game of the season, kicking two goals and setting up another in a dominant forward display. She led strongly to mark in the first term and converted off her preferred left to the hotspot, and in the second quarter won a downfield free kick and calmly slotted the set shot from 15 metres. She set up Leila Rowe for a goal in the third term with a neat kick forward, before capping her afternoon in the final quarter when she won a 50-metre penalty for encroachment after a mark and slotted the set shot from 20 metres.

SWAN DISTRICTS:

#3 Grace Hirst (Forward)

Stats: 12 disposals, 5 tackles and 2 inside 50s

In the front half but covering the entire ground, Hirst was a pressure machine, laying five tackles in a hard-working display. She followed up her own work to win the handball and kick to half-forward in the first term, and consistently drove the ball inside 50 with purpose. A deep driving ball to the pocket in the final quarter was another example of her forward intent.

#13 Shaya Yarran (Forward)

Stats: 20 disposals, 4 tackles, 3 inside 50s and 1 goal

Yarran was one of the best players on the ground, racking up 20 disposals and a goal in a dynamic performance. She set up a goal to Taylah Edwards with a well-placed kick to the leading target in the first term, and her own major came in the second quarter with a turn-and-snap from 15 metres out. She was clean at ground level throughout, showing her ability to gather inside 50 and lead directly to a goal to her sister Summer in the third term. Her tackling pressure was also a feature as has been the case with Yarran all season.

#14 Makaela Grau (Defender)

Stats: 8 disposals and 1 inside 50

Grau played her role in defence against a number of opponents, getting boot to ball under pressure and putting it to space. She showed good run down the wing, taking a bounce and kicking inside 50, and while she was not a high accumulator, played her team role to a t.

#24 Summer Ajduk (Wing/Midfielder)

Stats: 16 disposals, 1 mark, 5 tackles and 3 inside 50s

Ajduk was a consistent presence off the wing, shrugging tackles and driving the ball inside 50 with purpose. She won a free kick for contact in the marking contest and showed clean hands with a quick dish off in the second term. She rotated on-ball and won a centre clearance, and in the final quarter applied a tackle on the attacking side of the wing before streaming forward to kick inside 50.

PEEL THUNDER:

#6 Zaide Wilson (Ruck)

Stats: 6 disposals, 2 marks, 2 tackles and 20 hitouts

Wilson was decisive in the ruck, winning 20 hitouts with clean tap work throughout. Her best passage came in the third quarter when she took a strong mark on the wing, handballed off and then backed up with a kick to half-forward. She continued to provide first use for her midfielders with good positioning and tap work in the final quarter.

#7 Heidi Ireland (Utility)

Stats: 16 disposals, 4 marks, 2 tackles, 4 hitouts, 2 inside 50s and 1 behind

Deployed in the front half for her last game of the WAFLW season, Ireland showed her versatility, thumping the ball inside 50 and taking ruck stoppages on the wing despite being undersized. She took a strong mark out in front in the third quarter and drove back inside 50, with her set shot drifting left for a behind. She was equally valuable in defence, mopping up on the wing and spoiling to a teammate in the third term, and continued to clear the danger from the defensive 50 in the final quarter.

#8 Tiama Collard (Forward/Midfielder)

Stats: 16 disposals, 2 marks, 1 tackle, 3 inside 50s and 1 behind

Collard was clean and creative across the ground, starting forward before rotating on-ball in the third term. She showed her trademark burst and clean hands throughout, with a three-bounce run down the wing in the third quarter that nearly produced a goal of the year – only a goal-saving rush on the line denied her. She was composed in the back pocket late in the game, kicking long to the wing and rushing a behind on the last line before kicking out neatly.

#22 Tahlia Head (Wing)

Stats: 7 disposals and 2 marks

Head played her role off the wing, taking an intercept mark at half-back and kicking down the ground effectively. She pushed up the ground and found space well, winning a holding the ball free kick in the final quarter and taking a mark at half-back before kicking to a contest. Only the seven touches but bobbed up at different points.

#26 Charlie Fletcher (Midfielder)

Stats: 15 disposals, 5 tackles and 2 inside 50s

Fletcher was outstanding in the midfield, combining elite pressure with clean ball use. She read the tap on the wing beautifully to burst away and kick to half-forward in the first term, and her run-down tackle was a highlight of the opening quarter. She shrugged tackles to get handballs away and consistently broke from stoppages to drive the ball forward. Her hard-running defensive work, including a spoil across the line in the dying seconds of the third quarter, was equally impressive.

#35 Mia Van Kleef (Wing/Forward)

Stats: 7 disposals, 2 marks and 3 tackles

Van Kleef started on the wing and covered the ground well, intercepting at half-back and dropping into the hole inside 50. She showed clean hands with a nice low pass off the wing in the second term and battled hard in the back pocket, competing strongly throughout.

EAST PERTH:

#6 Charli Bassett (Midfielder)

Stats: 8 disposals, 1 mark, 3 tackles, 1 inside 50 and 1 goal

Bassett’s best moment was her best: breaking away from a stoppage in the third quarter, taking a bounce and finishing with class to kick East Perth’s first goal. She was a competitive presence throughout, laying a strong tackle on Strachan early and showing nice composure with a clean handball at half-back in the second term. She cleared the ball from danger out of the back 50 in the opening minute of the final quarter and kept working hard to the end.

WEST PERTH:

#13 Rikisha Nannup (Defender/Wing)

Stats: 17 disposals, 4 marks, 4 tackles and 1 inside 50

Nannup was excellent in a versatile role across the wing and defensive half, finishing with 17 disposals and four marks in a well-rounded display. She did well to hold the play up at half-back and win a free kick in the first term, and rotated on-ball in the second quarter, showing quick hands and winning the ball back after spilling a mark to lay a follow-up tackle. Her two sliding intercept marks from 40 metres in the second term were the highlights of her day, with the second setting up a Dziegielewski goal. She kept working hard in the final quarter, taking a mark in the middle and kicking laterally to the wing.

#25 Lexi Strachan (Midfielder/Forward)

Stats: 18 disposals, 4 marks, 5 tackles, 2 inside 50s, 1 goal and 2 behinds

Strachan was again prominent in the midfield, using her strength to win the ball and drive it forward. She set up a goal to Kat Bennett in the first term with a well-worked handball, and in the second quarter straightened from 30 metres only to hit the post, before intercepting the kickout and setting up Sophie Fisher for a goal. Her major came in the third quarter after an umpire confusion led to a 50-metre penalty, which she converted calmly. She was a consistent ball-winner throughout, laying five tackles to complement her disposal count.

#31 Cara Dziegielewski (Ruck/Forward)

Stats: 21 disposals, 4 marks, 3 tackles, 24 hitouts, 4 inside 50s, 1 goal and 1 behind

Dziegielewski was dominant, finishing with 21 disposals and 24 hitouts in a comprehensive performance. She won the first hitout and immediately drove the ball forward, and her goal in the second quarter – a strong mark 20 metres out followed by a composed set shot – was the highlight of a busy afternoon. She covered the ground well, getting handballs away in tight situations and consistently providing first use from the ruck. A shot on goal in the final quarter just missed to the left for a behind, but her overall contribution was immense.

#38 Trista Smoker (Forward)

Stats: 4 disposals, 1 mark, 1 tackle and 1 goal

Smoker made her limited touches count, finishing with a goal after getting to the right spot in the goalsquare to receive a handball from Bennett and convert easily. She showed clean hands under pressure in the forward pocket and was a smart mover around the forward half. A quiet game after some big WAFLW performances, but also was almost exclusively inside 50.

#40 Bella Nelson (Defender)

Stats: 11 disposals, 5 marks and 1 inside 50

Nelson was composed and effective from the defensive half, charging out of defence with a long kick inside 50 from half-back and executing an effective kick to the wing early. She took two consecutive marks at half-back in the second term and capped her game with an intercept mark in defence in the final quarter. A natural ball-winner who had less to do in defence but still played a proactive brand of football.

#45 Miley Hynes (Forward)

Stats: 13 disposals, 2 marks, 3 tackles, 6 inside 50s and 1 behind

Hynes was a busy forward presence, consistently driving the ball inside 50 with six entries. Her best moments came in the second quarter, hitting up Sophie Fisher inside 50 with a nice kick at speed and then delivering a long kick inside 50 to Dziegielewski on the lead. She took an intercept mark at half-forward in the third term as an aerial highlight, and continued to put pressure on the Royals’ defence throughout the match.