ENDING her SANFLW home-and-away campaign with a record-breaking performance, Miyu Endersby controlled the ruck contest as Central District defeated Glenelg 6.9 (45) to 4.6 (30) in Round 14. The 179cm top-age tall amassed a SANFLW-record 54 hitouts, while also working hard around the ground with 15 disposals, six marks and five tackles in the Bulldogs’ 15-point win. Endersby was our SANFLW Player Focus for Round 14.

>> AFLW DRAFT Q&A: Miyu Endersby (Central District)

Club: Central District
Height: 179cm
Date of Birth: 01/06/2008

STRENGTHS

+ Ruck craft
+ Vertical leap
+ Follow-up work
+ Aerial marking
+ Penetrating kick
+ Defensive impact

IMPROVEMENTS

– Decision making under pressure
– Explosiveness

ROUND 14: vs. Glenelg
Statistics: 15 disposals, 6 marks, 5 tackles, 54 hitouts, 2 clearances, 3 inside 50s, 4 rebound 50s and 1 behind

FIRST QUARTER

Starting in the ruck, Endersby was on top of the initial battle from the opening minutes. A notable moment came at the two-and-a-half-minute mark was a crafty one, directing the ball cleanly to advantage rather than merely thumping it forward. She continued to put the ball into usable areas, winning a front-half boundary throw-in at 13 minutes before producing a particularly neat tap to Kirra Tonkin at half-forward, which allowed the Bulldogs to link up through Lily Steen.

The aerial contest with Glenelg ruck Cassie McWilliam increasingly went Endersby’s way as the term wore on. She got her body into good positions, used her reach and was consistently able to get over the top to give Central District first use. There was also an encouraging glimpse of her work below her knees in the 18th minute, where she fended off an opponent, spun out of pressure and released a handball.

Not every moment came off. A minute later, she tried to crash through Ellie Kellock but was dragged down and caught holding the ball. It was one of the few occasions in the contest where her willingness to take on the tackler did not translate into a clean release.

SECOND QUARTER

Endersby resumed in the ruck, though her best moments in the second term came in defence. She gave off quick hands when the ball reached the back half, then at the three-minute mark gathered and wrapped up a Glenelg opponent close to the goalsquare, preventing what could have been a dangerous scoring opportunity.

Her capacity to follow up her own work was evident from a defensive-50 stoppage midway through the quarter. After winning the tap, she stayed involved at ground level and fed the ball away to help Central District clear. That secondary effort became a theme of her afternoon; the initial ruck act was only the start of the play, rather than the end of her contribution.

There was one moment of risk by foot a minute later when a short chip across defensive 50 was turned over. Glenelg could only manage a behind from the ensuing opportunity, but it underlined the decision-making required when using the ball in a high-risk area of the ground.

THIRD QUARTER

The third quarter was Central District’s defining term and Endersby was again central to the Bulldogs’ control around the ball. Starting in the ruck, she won the opening tap and continued to provide a clean platform at stoppage. Her impact was not restricted to the ruck circle either, laying a strong tackle on the wing and showing genuine intent to compete once the ball had left the contest.

At the eight-minute mark, she tried her luck from long range and struck the post for her sole behind. Three minutes later came one of her more complete passages: a huge, decisive tap down was followed by Endersby holding her line, gathering the ball cleanly off the deck and giving off a composed handball. It was the kind of sequence that demonstrated the mobility and awareness that makes her more than a purely aerial ruck.

She continued to aid the defence with quick hands and more controlled taps clear to a teammates. Her marking also stood out late in the term. Endersby took a strong intercept mark in the 19th minute and, while her next kick was intercepted off hands, she immediately got back to mark the Glenelg kick inside her own defensive 50 before driving the ball to the wing.

A forward-50 tackle that locked the ball in and helped lead to a Central District goal was another important act. She finished the quarter involved through the middle just before the siren, fitting of an all-ground performance during the period that effectively decided the match.

FOURTH QUARTER

Endersby began the final term by winning a secondary-stoppage tap, then continued to dominate the ruck battle with the same blend of reach and placement. A strong mark at half-back was followed by a wing kick that Glenelg intercepted in a one-on-one, but she remained willing to present as a link option and work up the ground.

Her best passage of the quarter came in the sixth minute. Endersby tapped the ball down, won it back herself, released a handball, regained possession and then sent the ball to half-back. That multi-effort sequence was a sharp example of the follow-up work which separated her performance from a high-hitout game alone.

She added a strong mark on the wing and went long inside 50, though the ball was intercepted in a pack. Later, Endersby won an impressive one-on-one mark on the attacking side of the wing and drove the ball back inside 50. In the final minute, she laid a great tackle on Georgie Fielder to win a holding-the-ball free kick, then hit-up Georgia Madigan at half-forward. Madigan’s shot was rushed through for a behind, but the sequence helped ice the final stages.

SUMMARY

Endersby’s 54 hitouts set a new SANFLW single-game benchmark, but the raw total tells only part of the story. She did not simply win volume at stoppage; she varied her taps, directed several to advantage and consistently gave Central District first use. The early tap to Tonkin, defensive-50 win and follow-up in the second quarter, and complete repeat-effort sequence in the last term were all strong examples of her ruck craft translating into team impact.

Her work around the ground was equally encouraging. Six marks – including three contested – were backed up by a third-quarter intercept and important one-on-one wins, while five tackles, four rebound 50s and multiple defensive acts reflected her willingness to work both ways. For a 179cm ruck, the ability to gather below her knees, give off quick hands and remain involved after the initial contest is a valuable point of difference.

The areas to sharpen remain in her decision making by foot, particularly when under pressure. The short defensive turnover in the second quarter, the intercepted kick after her third-quarter intercept mark and a couple of fourth-quarter entries were not damaging on every occasion, but they showed the need for greater precision and safer options under pressure. However she is a lovely technical kick, able to get serious penetration and with time and space can nail some incredible passes for a tall.

Overall, the performance was a fitting reminder of Endersby’s upside. The primary ruck in South Australia’s undefeated Under 18s Championships campaign, she has the physical profile, competitiveness and developing all-ground game to impact at the next level. If she can continue refining her disposal decisions, recruiters will see a tall prospect with genuine ruck craft and the appetite to influence the contest well beyond the hitout.