WESTERN Jets ground out a tough win over Bendigo Pioneers in the Pioneers’ final game of the Talent League Girls season for Round 20. The Jets had 15 scoring shots to five and came away with the 5.10 (40) to 3.2 (20) victory thanks to a three goals to one second half.

We took note of some of the eye-catching players in the match.

BENDIGO PIONEERS:

#6 Sage Dennis
Midfielder/Forward | 161cm | 22/08/2009

Stats: 24 disposals, 4 marks, 8 tackles, 4 clearances, 2 inside 50s, 2 rebound 50s

The Bendigo Pioneers’ best and fairest winner capped off her bottom-age season with one of her best performances of the year, racking up 24 disposals and being a presence around the ball for the most part. While always part of the on-ball rotation throughout the season, Dennis’ minutes were upped and she had a sustained impact across the course of the game. Her tackling pressure and natural courageous instincts were naturally there, but she was able to win the ball in all manner of ways and was generally effective by foot, improving her efficiency when under pressure.

#8 Georgia Garlick
Defender/Midfielder | 170cm | 01/07/2008

Stats: 19 disposals, 3 marks, 8 tackles, 3 clearances, 2 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s

Back into her familiar rebounding defensive role after experimenting forward, Garlick used her penetrating left boot to clear the danger and also get on the offensive pushing up the ground. She will go for kicks that few others attempt, and while it can come unstuck, her work rate and second efforts always stand out as a quality trait within her game. Garlick boasts clean hands and nice strength to be able to get her arms free in tackles and dispose of the ball effectively.

#9 Beth Morris
Midfielder | 167cm | 04/09/2008

Stats: 25 disposals, 4 marks, 2 tackles, 3 clearances, 3 inside 50s, 2 rebound 50s

Another really reliable and consistent performance from Morris who finished off her year with a game befitting of her efforts throughout the season. She will always give 100 per cent effort wherever she plays, and is usually feeding it out to her teammates on the outside. A natural contested ball-winner, Morris’ versatility has improved this year spending time both forward and back, but her greatest impact comes around the coalface. The big difference in this midfield performance compared to others is the amount of times she got to the outside to receive the ball with a game-high 14 handball receives.

#11 Mia Clark
Defender/Midfielder | 167cm | 05/04/2009

Stats: 21 disposals, 6 marks, 3 tackles, 2 inside 50s, 2 rebound 50s

A player whose stocks have risen in the back half of the season, the bottom-ager has really shown her versatility to play just about any position. While off a wing and down forward have been roles at different points in 2026, Clark rolled back to defence and also through the midfield where she was able to provide some nice dash out of defence. She brought the defensive pressure at ground level, but also found space to be an intermediary in transition. Quick hands which can sometimes be a little too quick, but she does well to follow-up.

#14 Lacey Nihill
Utility | 172cm | 01/05/2008

Stats: 24 disposals, 10 marks, 3 tackles, 2 clearances, 3 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s, 1 goal, 1 behind

Hard not to enjoy the year that Nihill has put together, deservedly earning herself a National Draft Combine invite off the back of sustained form over the last two years. Playing off a wing, Nihill set the tone for her performance with a brilliant first moment. She marked on the wing, took a bounce, feigned a handball then ran to the 50-metre arc and slammed home a goal with a brilliant finish. While her kicking has improved markedly this season, she had a real hit-and-miss game with some clangers to accompany some piercing passes. Naturally the full blown utility rolled out at full-forawrd to start quarter three, then spent time coming out of defence in the final term.

#35 Harper Delamare
Midfielder/Defender | 160cm | 26/10/2010

Stats: 20 disposals, 2 marks, 8 tackles, 3 clearances, 2 inside 50s, 4 rebound 50s

A double bottom-ager who continues to build in confidence, Delamare saved her best Talent League Girls performance for last. The Vic County MVP started on-ball and played the first half there before rotating into defence thanks to a switch with bottom-ager Dempsey McDonnell. Delamare will likely be a key part of the Pioneers’ midfield brigade in 2027, and she looked comfortable, picking up seven disposals in the first term and not looking overawed. A huge tackle on Kuol – a player 31 centimetres taller than her – summed up her intent, while an important bump in the fourth term on Paige McHutchison saved a potential goal.

WESTERN JETS:

#1 Charli Parsons-Jones
Midfielder/Forward | 167cm | 02/10/2009

Stats: 27 disposals, 1 mark, 1 tackle, 4 clearances, 7 inside 50s

The Jets’ bottom-ager won the most touches on the ground and really settled into life as an onballer making the most of Addison West playing for Williamstown. She racked up 27 disposals and provided some terrific forward drives, and while at times she tended to just throw it on the left boot, Parsons-Jones still got to the right positions and looked dangerous in the forward 50. With time of space she can do damage, and her stoppage craft is sound.

#4 Ruby Jones
Wing/Forward | 172cm | 02/03/2008

Stats: 15 disposals, 7 marks, 7 tackles, 1 clearance, 1 inside 50

While 15 disposals might not look a lot on paper, it felt like Jones had one of her more impactful games in Round 20. She worked hard to find space and be a transitional option, clunking seven marks and also bringing the heat at ground level by laying seven tackles. While she could be a touch cleaner at ground level, she set up a number of scores and provided an offensive running option. A good size with a nice athletic profile, Jones is a player with upside.

#5 Tayla Olivieri
Midfielder/Forward | 160cm | 14/02/2008

Stats: 24 disposals, 3 marks, 6 tackles, 3 clearances, 3 inside 50s, 2 rebound 50s, 2 behinds

It was no surprise to see Olivieri spend the bulk of her time back in the midfield in the absence of West and Kiara Boyd. The tenacious small took the reigns as the experienced head around the ball, and she was able to lead by example as the captain for the day. Providing clean hands and natural stoppage craft, if Olivieri wasn’t winning it, she was mowing down opponents and not making life easy for the Pioneers. Had some chances on goal which only resulted in a pair of behinds, but for a 160cm player, Olivieri possesses some terrific strength and an innate ability to free her arms and dish off.

#7 Jacinta Eteuati
Defender | 169cm | 27/05/2008

Stats: 8 disposals, 2 marks, 2 tackles, 1 rebound 50

Like Jones, Eteuati’s eight disposals might not scream ‘good performance’ but she is one of those high-impact players who each time she wins the ball, you take note. If it’s not a strong leaping mark, then she is applying pressure at ground level and mopping up across half-back, delivering down the ground effectively. What stands out is her ability to both intercept on her own, and also look to breakdown defences by running past for the handball and piercing a kick further afield.

#16 Piper Dixon
Forward/Midfielder | 158cm | 16/10/2008

Stats: 24 disposals, 7 marks, 9 tackles, 3 clearances, 6 inside 50s, 1. goal

Continuing her return back from injury with her third game, Dixon further justified her State Draft Combine invite off limited top-age exposure with her best game since her enormous out-of-the-box 35-disposal performance against Tasmania last season. She stepped up to help Olivieri and Parsons-Jones around the midfield after starting forward, and still had the footy IQ to push inside 50 and be a target. At 158cm, she competes strongly in the air, can shrug off tackles, and her defensive pressure is elite.

#18 Nartasha Elbayeh
Wing | 167cm | 01/05/2008

Stats: 14 disposals, 4 tackles, 1 clearance, 3 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50

A really handy winger who, while her kicking can still gain some greater consistency, offers a nice outside running option. She covers the ground effectively, gets forward to pump the ball inside 50, and also drops back to be a relieving option for a defender under pressure at the other end of the ground. Can take on tacklers at times, but is good at freeing the arms and getting rid of the ball.

#37 Shakaila Gardiner-Dunn
Forward/Midfielder | 157cm | 22/11/2007

Stats: 19 disposals, 1 mark, 10 tackles, 7 clearances, 4 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50

The tenacious Northern Territory native has found a nice forward-midfield rotation and she was terrific around the ball, ending up with a game-high seven clearances. Usually a first-possession winner at ground level, 17 of her 19 touches were contested, while 14 were ground ball wins. While she possesses great speed and evasion, the over-ager thrives when the pressure is red-hot.

#42 Aluk Kuol
Ruck | 191cm | 10/07/2008

Stats: 9 disposals, 2 tackles, 21 hitouts, 4 clearances, 1 inside 50

Kuol is always going to win the hitouts against just about everybody given her size, but all eyes are on what she does around the ground. It seemed she got more involved in the win over the Pioneers, and tried to use her size at times to bullock through opponents. Her footy IQ and fundamentals require further development, but she is finding more of the ball and greater impact around the ground, able to dispose of the ball in a swift manner.