SOUTH Australia’s latest SANFL Women’s Best and Fairest winner Nikki Nield is not thinking beyond next week. Her South Adelaide Panthers will prepare for a second successive grand final against the winner of Glenelg and Norwood, and though Nield can bask in a little glory for now, she will save that for when the job of winning a third premiership is done.

“I’m pretty proud of myself,” Nield said. “I’ve had quite a tough few years, so coming back home and just enjoying what I’ve been doing and playing the football with South Adelaide, they’re an amazing bunch of girls, and the club there.

“It’s been incredible to come back, and I’m proud of myself with how I’ve held myself together this season and the football I’ve been able to produce. In a few years time I think, when you look back on your career, and I think this will be something incredibly special to me. But alongside that I’m eager to get another premiership.”

Nield came into the best and fairest night like many expecting Glenelg’s Jessica Bates to take out the overall gong. Describing her state as “quite overwhelmed” in the wake of her win, she admitted as the count progressed she could sense she was a shot.

When the Round 12 leaderboard popped up there was a sense of calm as eyes darted around the room. Nield was on 22 votes, just two behind Bates, whose season came to an end, while the South Adelaide midfielder had been among her side’s best in the final fortnight.

Polling three votes in South Adelaide’s demolition of a Glenelg side minus Bates, then another two in the Panthers’ comfortable victory over Central District, Nield secured a three-vote win.

“Coming to the late games I knew I finished the season quite well so and especially with Jess Bates, (she) unfortunately had some injuries so had the last two games off,” Nield said. “Especially those last two games I thought I had a chance, but still wasn’t hoping too much, but just wait it out but when my name got called out for those three votes, there were quite a lot of emotions going through with how I’m pretty speechless with what happened.”

Nield said she is striving to help the younger generation at the Panthers become better players and how from her back-to-back flags in 2018-19 where she was one of the youngest players, she is now guiding the 16 and 17 year-old players running out alongside her.

“I still like to think I’m a bit young,” the 23-year-old said. “It’s crazy how quick you develop in your career and you soon become the older players and you become the leadership in the club and those girls look up to you and what you put out on the field, and your off-field attributes as well.

“I think it’s been incredible to play alongside some really great upcoming talent and I can’t wait to see what they produce in the next few years. I really want to help them to strive in their careers, and if I can just play a little part in that, it would be incredible.”

When asked where the South Adelaide side of 2024 ranked compared to her premiership teams from six and seven years ago, Nield described her current cohort as “just special”.

“We’ve got some amazing players, and we think we can play some of the best footy in the SANFLW and (coach) Rick Watts, he’s been incredible for my journey and he’s continually produces on the footy field and I think he just shows the culture of that club, and hopefully we can take out the flag in a fortnight’s time,” Nield said.

While the Panthers have beaten Glenelg three times this season and lost to Norwood in both of their matches for 2024, Nield said the team would step up to the challenge regardless of which team emerged victorious in the preliminary final.

“I think you play the best to beat the best,” she said. “I think whatever team we face, we’re going to come out with our best game and we’ll come out for the fight, and hopefully either way it goes we can get on top. Whatever team is lucky enough is get through this next week we’re more than happy to take them on.”

The former Adelaide and Fremantle midfielder said though a return to the AFL Women’s might be something she considers in the future, right now she is happy plying her trade for South Adelaide and is firmly focused on taking out the 2024 SANFL Women’s flag.

“I haven’t really thought too far ahead at the moment,” Nield said. “If it does produce that, I’d look towards those avenues again, but right now I’m just happy being in the moment and I’m enjoying every game and I think that’s really what I’ve been taking this year.

“Not looking into the future just taking each week and each game as it comes, and I think that’s what I’ll continue to do. If doors open I’ll look into that, but at the moment I’m just looking towards the next week.”