TASMANIA Devils captain and National Academy member Evie Ward delivered a commanding performance in Round 17 of the Talent League Girls competition against the Calder Cannons. The versatile top-ager, who has established herself as a genuine utility capable of impacting on any line, spent the majority of the game driving her side out of the midfield and rebounding from the back half. Ward was a relentless presence throughout, racking up a massive 34 disposals and eight clearances to help secure the Devils a 12-point win.

>> AFLW DRAFT Q&A: Evie Ward (Tasmania Devils)

BACKGROUND

Name: Evie Ward
Height: 172cm
DOB: 29/10/2008
Position: Utility
Club: Tasmania Devils

A top-ager in the 2026 Talent League Girls competition, Evie Ward has been a consistent and reliable force for the Tasmania Devils. Hailing from Lauderdale – a club her father also represented – Ward came to football relatively late, having started out as a gymnast before basketball became her main sport. It was not until Grade 7 that she committed to football, and the sport quickly took over.

After debuting for the Devils in 2024, Ward had a breakout 2025 campaign where she won the club’s Most Consistent award. She set a benchmark for the most contested possessions in a single Talent League game that season. That form earned her selection in the 2025 AFL National Futures Girls match at IKON Park, where she finished with a team-high 20 disposals and three clearances in a come-from-behind win.

Entering 2026, Ward was named captain of the Devils – with Matilda Lange as vice-captain – and selected in the AFLW National Academy. She went on to represent the Allies at the AFLW Under 18 Championships, where the combined states side finished runners-up. Off the field, she is a member of the AFL Youth Advisory Group, using her voice to help strengthen the game at the highest level.

PLAYER FOCUS

Stats vs. Calder Cannons, Round 17: 34 disposals, 4 marks, 1 tackle, 8 clearances, 6 inside 50s, 4 rebound 50s, 1 goal

FIRST QUARTER

Starting on-ball, Ward was immediately involved, winning the first handball away from the opening bounce. Her first kick was driven long down the ground, though it unfortunately went out on the full in the breeze, and she was caught holding the ball in the middle shortly after. However, she quickly made amends in the 10th minute, taking a strong mark five metres out with good hands and converting the set shot from 20 metres for her first goal.

Ward continued to work hard across the ground, having a fresh air kick at half-back before shuffling it away cleanly. Late in the term, she threw the ball onto her boot from a forward stoppage to a contest, keeping the play moving. She capped off a busy nine-disposal quarter by winning a centre clearance to half-forward, following up to win the loose ball and tumbling it forward just before the siren.

SECOND QUARTER

Remaining on-ball for the second term, Ward gathered 10 disposals as she continually looked to drive the ball forward. Early in the quarter, she threw the ball onto her boot from a stoppage down the wing. She had a rare blemish in the 12th minute when a defensive 50 stoppage clearance landed straight in the lap of Lily Frangoulis 35 metres out, but she responded brilliantly moments later. Ward took a strong intercept mark, executed a nice low kick, and kept running to receive a handball two touches later, eventually kicking wide to advantage on the wing.

Her ability to read the play was evident when she thumped a kick inside 50 to a contest from a wing stoppage, and later read a stoppage tap perfectly to thump it forward, though it was intercepted off hands. Ward showed her toughness when she was dumped to the ground on the wing, still managing to get the ball to her boot to a ground-level contest. She finished the half strongly, flicking out an effective handball inside 50 after a turnover from the kickout, and then winning a holding the ball free kick in the middle. She sidestepped her opponent and kicked from outside 50 to Georgia McIntee, though the mark was taken just after the siren.

THIRD QUARTER

Ward started the third quarter on-ball matched up against Victoria Goudy. She executed a slick flick handball in the back pocket in the 10th minute and looked to have almost taken a mark in defensive 50 shortly after, but it wasn’t paid and she was locked up. She showed her desperation by soccer-ing the ball off the deck in the back pocket to clear the danger.

Her aerial strength was on display in the 15th minute when she took a strong mark from a kickout at half-back and delivered well down the wing. Ward combined beautifully with Lange in the middle with slick hands, and later dumped a long handball receive out of the middle inside 50 to a contest. She showed great positioning by hanging out the back of the contest to be a second possession winner if needed. In the 20th minute, she won a holding the ball free kick 40 metres out and found Annabella Burt, though the mark was dropped as the siren sounded.

FOURTH QUARTER

Starting on-ball against Felicity Mahoney, Ward continued to be a key distributor. She kicked in well from half-back after an out on the full, finding the wing effectively, before rotating behind the ball to help settle the defence. While she had a turnover from a clean ball to the wing in the 17th minute, she quickly recovered to take a strong mark at half-forward and kick to a one-on-one contest inside 50.

With 30 seconds remaining, Ward threw the ball onto her boot at a forward stoppage, narrowly missing a second goal for a behind. She finished the final term with eight disposals, bringing her game total to an impressive 34 touches.

CONCLUSION

Ward’s 34-disposal, eight-clearance performance against the Calder Cannons was a fitting showcase of everything that makes her a well-rounded top-age prospect in the 2026 AFLW Draft. Her ability to win the ball at the source and drive it forward, combined with her willingness to push back and support the defence, makes her an invaluable asset for the Tasmania Devils. Her self-identified strengths – contested possession, groundballs and competitiveness – were all on display across four quarters.

While her kicking precision under pressure remains an area she has flagged for improvement, her sheer volume of ball-winning, clean hands and leadership were elite. As the captain of the Devils and a National Academy member who has already represented the Allies at the national championships, Ward’s relentless work rate and versatility continue to solidify her standing as a genuine AFLW Draft prospect in 2026.