OVER the next three weeks, Rookie Me Central will be counting down our 23 Players Under 23 years of age to watch in the upcoming 2023 season. The criteria is the player must be born in 2001 or later, and must have played at least one AFL Women’s match in Season 7. As the list is completely subjective, the opinion is that of the individual author.
#5 Alyssa Bannan (Melbourne)
DOB: 13/04/2002
Height: 177cm
Position: Forward
Games: 36
Talented 21-year-old forward Alyssa Bannan has been an exciting prospect since bursting onto the scene in Season 5. The developing tall forward has had some remarkable running goals which featured multiple bounces and eye-catching pace for a player of 177cm. Though being a taller player she is not always as consistent as others, her ceiling is as high as anyone in the competition.
Drafted with pick number five in the 2020 AFL Women’s Draft after playing in a premiership as a bottom-ager in 2019 with the Northern Knights, Bannan came in as a high-upside junior. She booted 15 goals in nine games that year as the Knights won the premiership at Under 18s level. She would only manage three games in 2020 due to the season being cancelled, but still slotted nine goals in that time, making her average two goals per game at the level.
At AFL level, she has averaged just under a goal per game, kicking 28 across her 36 games, including 22 in her past 25. Playing in Melbourne’s premiership side last season, she is tipped to continue to develop as each season goes on.
SEASON 7 KEY STATS:
Games: 13
Goals: 10
Disposals: 6.2
Disposal Efficiency: 60.5
Marks: 1.4
Metres Gained: 109.1
Tackles: 2.5
Inside 50s: 1.6
Tackles Inside 50: 1.3
Score Involvements: 2.0
Time of Ground %: 77.0
Bannan arguably had a better Season 6, but still showed promising signs across Season 7 to suggest she will be a key target for the Demons for years to come. Booting 10 goals across her 13 games she only averaged the 6.2 disposals – the lowest on this list – but did plenty of magical things with ball-in-hand. Her ability to burst away and once she got goalside was near impossible to catch.
Bannan definitely had her ups and downs throughout the season, with her highest disposal tally nine, but she is always a danger for opposition sides In her best performance in the regular season, she clunked four marks from eight disposals and kicked three goals against the Western Bulldogs in Round 7. Perhaps most impressive was her finals series, where she had her best three-game stint of the season. Averaging 7.6 disposals, 3.3 marks and 163.3 metres gained, Bannan stepped up when it counted.
LOOKING AHEAD
Alyssa Bannan is one who will only get better as the seasons go by, and with the rare athletic traits for a player of her size, the Demons forward is so hard to match up on. She can compete in the air or at ground level, and even though she is not the highest accumulator, is a damaging player when going forward. Watch out for her to be a goalkicker for years to come.
AFLW 23 Under 23: #1 Georgie Prespakis
OVER the next three weeks, Rookie Me Central will be counting down our 23 Players Under 23 years of age to watch in the upcoming 2023 season. The criteria is the player must be born in 2001 or later, and must have played at least one AFL Women’s match in Season 7. As the list […]
AFLW 23 Under 23: #2 Charlie Rowbottom
OVER the next three weeks, Rookie Me Central will be counting down our 23 Players Under 23 years of age to watch in the upcoming 2023 season. The criteria is the player must be born in 2001 or later, and must have played at least one AFL Women’s match in Season 7. As the list […]
AFLW 23 Under 23: #3 Mimi Hill
OVER the next three weeks, Rookie Me Central will be counting down our 23 Players Under 23 years of age to watch in the upcoming 2023 season. The criteria is the player must be born in 2001 or later, and must have played at least one AFL Women’s match in Season 7. As the list […]
AFLW 23 Under 23: #4 Georgia Patrikios
OVER the next three weeks, Rookie Me Central will be counting down our 23 Players Under 23 years of age to watch in the upcoming 2023 season. The criteria is the player must be born in 2001 or later, and must have played at least one AFL Women’s match in Season 7. As the list […]
AFLW 23 Under 23: #5 Alyssa Bannan
OVER the next three weeks, Rookie Me Central will be counting down our 23 Players Under 23 years of age to watch in the upcoming 2023 season. The criteria is the player must be born in 2001 or later, and must have played at least one AFL Women’s match in Season 7. As the list […]
AFLW 23 Under 23: #6 Ellie McKenzie
OVER the next three weeks, Rookie Me Central will be counting down our 23 Players Under 23 years of age to watch in the upcoming 2023 season. The criteria is the player must be born in 2001 or later, and must have played at least one AFL Women’s match in Season 7. As the list […]
AFLW 23 Under 23: #7 Hannah Ewings
OVER the next three weeks, Rookie Me Central will be counting down our 23 Players Under 23 years of age to watch in the upcoming 2023 season. The criteria is the player must be born in 2001 or later, and must have played at least one AFL Women’s match in Season 7. As the list […]
AFLW 23 Under 23: #8 Bella Lewis
OVER the next three weeks, Rookie Me Central will be counting down our 23 Players Under 23 years of age to watch in the upcoming 2023 season. The criteria is the player must be born in 2001 or later, and must have played at least one AFL Women’s match in Season 7. As the list […]
AFLW 23 Under 23: #9 Jasmine Fleming
OVER the next three weeks, Rookie Me Central will be counting down our 23 Players Under 23 years of age to watch in the upcoming 2023 season. The criteria is the player must be born in 2001 or later, and must have played at least one AFL Women’s match in Season 7. As the list […]
