SNAPSHOT: "A tenacious forward/midfielder who might not be big in stature, but can hurt opposition sides both offensively and defensively."

STRENGTHS:

+ Footy IQ
+ Defensive pressure
+ Speed
+ Contested work
+ Clean hands

IMPROVEMENTS:

- Production
- Consistency

PROFILE:

Ruby Ballard is the sister of Adelaide Crows' Abbie and if you watch her it is clear the siblings are cut from the same cloth. Though still boasting differences - Abbie with an elite kick and stronger frame while Ruby is quicker - the younger Ballard brings the same outstanding agility as well as footy IQ and clean hands at ground level.

Earning a State Draft Combine invite, Ballard's balance of offensive and defensive traits really come to the fore. She is able to win the ball in the forward half or around the coalface and feed it out cleanly to teammates on the outside. She has deceptively good speed which was shown in the Draft Combine testing results, and her evasion is great.

Ballard is not a high production player, averaging the 8.3 disposals at the national carnival and 10.9 disposals at SANFLW level, and as a forward/midfielder does not kick as many goals as what would be ideal. However what she does so well is setting up her teammates, using the ball cleanly by hand and winning touches both on the inside and outside. Abbie was a later developer and Ruby certainly bears similar traits with upside for the future.

DRAFT RANGE: Late/Rookie