IN the final round before the first SANFL Women’s league-wide bye, State Academy members got one last chance to test themselves against AFLW-listed players before the elite level talents head back to Adelaide and Port Adelaide for the remainder of the season.

North Adelaide:

#9 Laela Ebert (Defender)
Stats: 9 disposals, 4 marks, 1 tackle, 1 inside 50, 1 rebound 50

Though a quieter day, Ebert was found some of the ball early, having an effective kick out of the defensive 50 in the first term and another few touches across the next couple of quarters. Central did well to quell the relative impact of the Roosters’ most damaging ball user, but also it spent large portions of time up the other end of the ground.

#31 Nevaeh Ebert (Defender)
Stats: 4 disposals, 1 mark, 4 tackles, 1 clearance, 1 rebound 50

The younger Ebert does not mind going for a run off half-back and she did so early in the game to clear it forward. She provides good pressure on the ball carrier, laying four tackles to match her four disposals, laying a great tackle in the final few minutes of the match to lock it up.

Central District:

#3 Miyu Endersby (Ruck/Defender)
Stats: 6 disposals, 1 mark, 1 tackle, 16 hitouts, 1 inside 50

Used her athleticism to advantage when in the ruck and chopped out for Olivia Levicki well. She picked up the 16 hitouts and did all she needed to, even providing a target midway through the second term with a mark at half-forward. Endersby got the crowd up and about a few minutes later with a torpedo down the ground from half-back, and though was quiet on the disposal front int he second half, is progressing nicely in her first season.

#9 Charlotte Riggs (Defender)
Stats: 9 disposals, 4 marks, 2 tackles, 2 hitouts, 2 rebound 50s

After a quieter start to the match, Riggs had a huge few moments when the game was in the balance. The top-ager took some terrific intercept marks in the final term, quelling several North Adelaide attacks and clearing the danger. It lead to the Bulldogs being able to kick clear with the crucial Tessa Doumanis go-ahead goal, with Riggs’ hands on-song late.

#12 Sophie Eaton (Forward)
Stats: 1 disposal, 5 tackles

The youngster was due for a quieter game as she is all class and has put in some outstanding performances over the last 18 months. Her tackling pressure was sublime, but sometimes it just isn’t your day from an offensive front and there were a few times where under pressure the ball spilled out while being tackled and she was not credited with a disposal. Never stopped presenting and trying though.

#27 Jasmine Evans (Forward/Wing)
Stats: 14 disposals, 4 marks, 1 tackle, 4 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50, 2 goals, 1 behind

With Eaton quieter, it was Evans who returned to the fore again, kicking a couple of classy goals including one in the first five minutes getting back to soccer it home. Her second major came via a snap seven minutes into the second term, and she set up several others with her lightning quick vision and decision making, and incredibly clean hands at ground level. Her kicking was back at her best this game with some of the passes simply outstanding.

Sturt:

#6 India Rasheed (Midfielder/Forward)
Stats: 20 disposals, 2 marks, 6 tackles, 8 clearances, 2 inside 50s, 2 rebound 50s

Found her fair share of the ball and worked her way into the game after being relatively tightly watched by Candice Belbin. She still got her hands to it and won multiple clearances early, but had more damage in the second half. She showed you cannot keep a player of her ilk down, and while it was not as good as her past games, still contributed in the loss.

#16 Monique Bessen (Forward/Midfielder)
Stats: 16 disposals, 5 marks, 2 tackles, 4 clearances, 3 inside 50s, 2 goals

Like Rasheed, Bessen bounced back from a relatively quiet start to kick a great goal out of a forward stoppage in the sixth minute of the second term. She got her side on the board and made it two when again she won it off hands inside 50 and snapped truly off the right. She worked hard, was clean and balanced her time between forward and midfield again, clearly amongst Sturt’s best kicking two of her side’s three goals in a disappointing loss.

#17 Sophie Thredgold (Defender)
Stats: 15 disposals, 7 marks (1 contested), 3 rebound 50s

A really balanced game from the developing Thredgold who provided some terrific aerial presence to match her run. She had eight touches in the first half and 13 by the last change to surprisingly be one of the top ball-winners. Her hands were good and she contributed well by foot coming out of the back 50, in one of her better games for the year.

#25 Edwina Thornquest (Defender/Forward)
Stats: 11 disposals, 5 marks (1 contested), 4 tackles, 1 clearance, 1 inside 50, 1 rebound 50

Like Thredgold, Thornquest competed well in the air and is impressive one-on-one. She is an effective user of the ball, rarely wasting a disposal and playing within her means. She did get thrown forward in the final term to produce a couple of good spoils in a bid to quell the influence of Najwa Allen up the other end. Sturt kicked two goals while she was down there, so Thornquest made her presence felt.

Norwood:

#2 Coby Morgan (Wing)
Stats: 10 disposals, 3 marks, 5 tackles, 2 clearances, 2 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50

Never one to sit back and watch the play unfold, Morgan is always in the thick of it running up and down the ground. She won an early holding the ball free kick off the first centre stoppage charging in, and had her play of the day in the fourth term from the first bounce charging through congestion and fending off a couple to bomb long inside 50. Her polish and execution continues to be an area of improvement, but her defensive pressure and metres gained is terrific.

#39 Charli Hazelhurst (Defender)
Stats: 6 disposals, 1 tackle, 2 rebound 50s

In all honesty did not have a lot to do, and it is always a positive as a defender if you have a quiet day out. Hazelhurst came out to meet the ball a few times and was clean off the deck in the first term with a couple of touches. Though she did not win much of it, she stood up when required, producing a thumping kick out of the back 50 in the ninth minute of the fourth quarter.

#61 Kate Alexander (Ruck)
Stats: 3 disposals, 1 mark, 1 tackle, 32 hitouts

Was too tall and athletic in the ruck for her opponents, collecting 32 hitouts to Sturt’s total of 26. She can guide the ball down well and was on top for the most part to get set plays happening. While outside the ruck stoppages she was not as influential. she still took a great intercept mark in the middle a minute into the second term. A raw talent who is still a double bottom-ager.

Woodville-West Torrens:

#3 Bianca Portaro (Defender/Midfielder)
Stats: 16 disposals, 1 mark, 6 tackles, 1 clearance, 2 rebound 50s

Has been building some nice form to go with her increasing midfield minutes. Her defensive pressure is never in question as she attacks the ball and ball carrier at full tilt whether it is in defence or the middle. With time and space she makes good decisions, and it is about evening that out when under pressure. Still, worked hard around the ground and put in another four quarter performance to be among the Eagles’ best.

#15 Lucy Moore (Midfielder/Forward)
Stats: 13 disposals, 1 mark, 2 tackles, 4 clearances, 2 inside 50s

The Under 16s talent made her SANFL Women’s debut and certainly held her own playing forward and rotating into the midfield. Moore won her fair share of clearances and where were not just ball-on-boot clearances either, with one late in the third term seeing the 15-year-old stream away going forward. At the first bounce of the fourth quarter, Moore did well to bump the bigger Dufour off the ball and then cleanly release by hand to a teammate going forward.

#18 Klaudia O’Neill (Defender)
Stats: 6 disposals, 3 tackles, 1 rebound 50

Similar to Hazelhurst, in all honesty, O’Neill did not need to do too much compared to recent weeks. Woodville-West Torrens dominated field position against the Bloods, with O’Neill often pushing up to meet the ball higher up the ground. She laid some good tackles and did what she needed to as a rock in defence.

#22 Imogen Trengove (Forward)
Stats: 12 disposals, 1 tackle, 1 clearance, 2 inside 50s

The bottom-ager had her moments such as an eye-catching sidestep in the final term accompanied by a clean finish. Good at ground level, she had a clever play to McKenzie Dowrick for a shot on goal, and pushed up to some stoppages at half-forward when required. Trengove set up Tarlinton’s second goal with a clean pickup inside 50 and snap into space in front of the key forward despite the youngster being under pressure.

West Adelaide:

#2 Lucy Boyd (Defender)
Stats: 18 disposals, 3 marks, 3 tackles, 1 inside 50

Tried incredibly hard all game and provided some intercepting and rebounding despite holding a higher line than usual. She won a lot of the ball outside the defensive 50, and had some timely spoils to go with her 18 touches. While she won’t get a stat for her clever punch-on to Mableson under pressure on the wing, it caught the eye, and she showed her smarts through the game.

#14 Chloe Tonkin (Forward/Ruck)
Stats: 10 disposals, 4 marks (4 contested), 8 hitouts, 1 clearance, 1 rebound 50, 1 behind

The best hands in the business clunked another four contested marks to go with her 10 touches and eight hitouts rotating between forward and ruck. She looked good leading out to take a strong grab in the second term but her shot from 30m pushed wide for a behind. She was up against in the ruck against the clever and experienced Leah Cutting, but her follow-up work around the ground was noticeable.

#15 Asha Dufour (Midfielder/Defender)
Stats: 24 disposals, 5 marks (1 contested), 5 tackles, 6 clearances, 2 inside 50s, 5 rebound 50s

Dufour did not do a lot wrong in the game, working hard defensively and rolling both through the midfield and dropping into the back 50. She won a lot of cheaper touches in the defence, but used them well and provided good composure under pressure. When the heat of the battle around the coalface was on, Dufour cracked in and won her fair share of the clearances, was clearly one of the Bloods’ more prominent ball-winners by the end of the game. Can win both contested and uncontested possessions with ease.

#22 Ruby Ballard (Forward)
Stats: 6 disposals, 1 mark, 8 tackles, 1 clearance, 1 inside 50

Ballard is a player who provides the same amount of defensive intensity each and every week, and she did so again in Round 5. Laying more tackles than disposals won (eight to six), Ballard only knows one way and she showed it again in that high-forward role. Most of her touches came under pressure and were not as effective as usual, but she never stopped cracking in.

#27 Emma Kilpatrick (Wing)
Stats: 13 disposals, 1 mark (1 contested), 4 tackles, 2 clearances, 1 inside 50, 1 rebound 50

Had a blazing start to the match, winning several touches in the opening couple of minutes, and though she might not have kept that pace up, still stepped up when she needed to, providing some good drive down the ground and working hard to clear the ball. Strong at ground level and a booming kick, she has developed further in her wing role this season.

#44 Emily Mableson (Defender)
Stats: 18 disposals, 2 marks (1 contested), 6 tackles, 2 clearances, 8 rebound 50s

Speaking of development, Mableson is headed in an upward trajectory and is doing exactly what you would expect of a highly talented double bottom-ager. She makes mistakes at times, but you forgive those for what she offers offensively and defensively, not afraid to put her body on the line and more often than not makes good decisions. She was ferocious in the back 50 and provided plenty of rebound when her side was under siege through the match.

Glenelg:

#6 Violet Patterson (Midfield/Wing)
Stats: 25 disposals, 2 marks, 6 tackles, 7 clearances, 1 inside 50, 3 rebound 50s

Consistency and production were question marks coming into the season for the top-ager, but the Glenelg runner has turned them into exclamation marks the last three weeks with yet another 25-disposal game. She perhaps was a touch less efficient, but not less impactful defensively, with her step up around the stoppages a noticeable improvement too. She won a ridiculous seven clearances, with her development into fully fledged inside-outside player complete.

#19 Matilda Wilmore (Forward)
Stats: 2 disposals

With South Adelaide having the better of the field position and getting on top, it was tough for Wilmore to work into the game like many of the Glenelg forwards. She was around the mark winning a couple of handballs and put a good block on in the fourth quarter, but ultimately just could not get her hands to it.

#20 Poppy Scholz (Defender/Forward)
Stats: 12 disposals, 4 marks (1 contested), 2 tackles, 3 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50

It was Scholz who coach Lexi Edwards called upon to go forward when the Bays lacked a marking target, and while she did her best, it also left them a little exposed in defence. She did her best work in the back 50 providing rebound, but got forward and put the ball inside 50 on a number of occasions, with her kicking impressive and her determination evident. Is the ultimate utility.,

South Adelaide:

#20 Layla Vizgaudis (Forward)
Stats: 7 disposals, 2 marks, 4 tackles, 1 clearance, 1 rebound 50

Just plays her role each week and while it was not her term to dazzle with her disposal, she got into good spots and her aggression at the ball and opponent was first class. She often had to battle against taller opponents, but the 162cm forward was not overawed, always happy to do the chasing in order to win the ball back for her side.

#23 Esther Schirmer (Defender)
Stats: 17 disposals, 12 marks (3 contested), 3 tackles, 1 inside 50, 1 rebound 50

An out-of-the-box game from the normally quieter Schirmer who became an elite intercepting force. Normally one who nullifies a dangerous opposition forward, Schirmer got ultra proactive and clunked a remarkable 12 marks, including three contested. It seemed like she had chucked on a Glenelg jumper at the rate the Bays were picking her out inside 50, and she was clearly a star on the day. Schirmer was also the subject of our SANFLW Player Focus.

>> SANFLW PLAYER FOCUS: ESTHER SCHIRMER (SOUTH ADELAIDE)

#25 Emma Charlton (Forward/Wing)
Stats: 14 disposals, 3 marks, 3 tackles, 1 clearance, 3 inside 50s

Even when she is not kicking goals, Charlton is a player who is on the verge of making something happen. The double bottom-ager provides some nice run and works hard defensively as well as getting forward of the ball, having 13 of her 14 touches to three quarter time. At times she can be a touch rushed with her disposal going forward, but puts it into dangerous spots which always allows her teammates to have a chance.

#56 Lily Baxter (Forward/Wing)
Stats: 11 disposals, 3 marks, 1 clearance, 1 inside 50, 1 behind

Similar to Charlton, the bottom-ager always looks dangerous, and while her stats do not jump off the page, she can be potent with a lovely kicking technique and high running capacity. Time and time again, Baxter put it to her forward’s advantage, setting up Emily Brockhurst and Morgan Johnston during the first term to name a couple. She gets back and was able to apply a good spoil in defensive 50 late in the first half, and though not credited with a tackle, still applies pressure around the ground.