CENTRAL District tall Charlotte Riggs started the 2023 SANFL Women’s season on fire with a couple of impressive games to open the year. Stationed at centre half-back, the bottom-ager has proven her incredible aerial ability time and time again, and having added extra size to her frame of the off-season while losing none of her athleticism, Riggs is becoming a problem for opposition forwards. Her performance during the Bulldogs’ loss to Sturt was our Player Focus for Round 2.

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Central District Women's, South Australia GirlsKey Position Utility

Charlotte Riggs

Height: 179cm

Weight: -

DOB: 02-11-2006

2023 SANFL Women’s: Round 2
Central District 2.7 (19) def. by Sturt 8.8 (56)

STATS: 17 disposals (14 kicks, 3 handballs), 7 marks (2 contested), 3 tackles, 1 inside 50, 3 rebound 50s

FIRST QUARTER

Riggs took just three minutes to get into the action, pushing up to receive the ball, was immediately tackled but had the strength to get the handball away on the forward side of the centre. She would lay a brilliant tackle on Kiera Mueller a minute later.

Midway through the quarter, Riggs was roaming out of defence after a loose ball get, but unfortunately her long kick to the wing was turned over to Maya Rigter. The next subsequent kick coming back in saw Riggs haul in her first mark of the day, with her next kick far more effective to Dakota Williams. She would have a couple more kicks, one from a free kick on the wing for last touch, and then another from a mark at centre half-back, both were towards contests but effective enough.

SECOND QUARTER

The second term started with Riggs competing in the ruck and while she could not quite come out on top there, she took a good intercept mark inside defensive 50 soon after. She received a bump from State Academy teammate from last year Millie McCarthy and made sure to add some extra mayo to it. Her kick across the defensive 50 towards Laitiah Huynh was dangerous, but luckily her teammate won a free kick from an opponent’s tackle.

A quieter next 10 minutes – due to the ball largely being up the other end – ended with Riggs laying a strong tackle on Monique Bessen in the 15th minute to win a free kick in the back pocket. Her kick was safe and steady, and then moments later she was able to nullify a situation by taking the ball to ground. In her final play of the half, she took an intercept mark inside the defensive 50 and kicked cleanly to the wing in the final 30 seconds.

THIRD QUARTER

Sturt began to charge in the third term, resulting in plenty of action inside Riggs’ defensive 50. Just over a minute into the match, Riggs took a good mark on the wing, but her kick was a poor one, bouncing towards the boundary missing the target and going out of bounds. A couple of minutes later, Riggs went in hard in the defensive 50 and got a quick handball away as she was tackled.

At the midway point of the term Riggs took another great intercept mark in the middle and was able to deliver cleanly to Shannon Murphy on the wing. To end the term, Riggs tried to mark at half-back but was spoiled. She recovered well to give off a handball to a running Caitlen Teague out of the back half.

FOURTH QUARTER

The fourth term was a quieter one for Riggs, with Central District having more chances than Sturt in the second half of the quarter. In the first seven minutes, Riggs featured with a kick from the back pocket with the outside of the boot to clear the ball to safety. Her final play was a good smother on the wing to stop Bessen driving the ball forward.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Charlotte Riggs is developing into a promising tall for next year’s AFL Women’s Draft. After showing promising signs as a key defender and ruck last season, Riggs has predominantly filled out that centre half-back role, using her athleticism to advantage. Boasting terrific mobility and an outstanding vertical leap, Riggs is one to watch for the future, as she continues to develop her consistency through execution and adds more strength to her frame as she has done over the off-season.