ANOTHER huge performance from Eastern Ranges’ bottom-ager Tayla McMillan has earned the classy onballer our Round 11 Coates Talent League Girls Player of the Week nomination. McMillan racked up 27 disposals, three marks, eight tackles, nine inside 50s and three rebound 50s in the Ranges’ big win over Western Jets.

One of the top contenders for the Rookie Me Central Medal, she went head-to-head against a Western Jets midfield that included AFLW Academy member Sierra Grieves – who was outstanding in her own right – and was able to extract the ball out of the stoppage and feed her fellow midfielders and forwards consistently.

What stands out about McMillan’s game is her ability to do all the defensive things right as well as having a high-level of offensive impact with ball-in-hand. As clean as they come and able to take the extra split second to dispose of the ball, the Eastern Ranges young gun is building a terrific bottom-age season ahead of 2025.

In 2024, McMillan has picked up 25 or more disposals in five of her nine games, and only dipped below 20 touches once – and that was 19 – to average 25.2 disposals per game. She has also laid a massive 9.7 tackles, taken 2.8 marks, had 4.9 inside 50s and 1.8 rebound 50s. After an impressive 33 disposals against Sandringham Dragons the week before, McMillan backed that up with another eye-catching display against the Jets.

McMillan becomes the first Eastern Ranges player to be nominated, which is credit to the even team performance across the board. Teammates Stasia Stevenson (28 disposals, seven marks, 11 tackles and seven inside 50s) and Grace Belloni (25 disposals, six inside 50s) were both crucial in the win. Grieves had the most touches of anyone in the match, bringing her own ball for 35 disposals, six marks, six tackles, six inside 50s, four rebound 50s and a goal.

There were a number of other players across the round in contention for the week’s nomination. Oakleigh bottom-ager Bailee Martin kicked 4.3 from 19 disposals and five marks, while fellow 2007-born Chloe Bown kicked two from 18, and top-ager Emma McDonald managed two from 17, as well as clunking eight marks during the huge win over Calder Cannons.

Despite going down in defeat to the Northern Knights, prospective Carlton father-daughter pick Sophie McKay had a day out with two goals from 30 disposals and laying nine tackles. She and Scout Howden (27 disposals, five marks and eight tackles) both tried hard. Past nominee Sara Howley (33 disposals, six tackles) was another who caught the eye in the Falcons’ win over Murray Bushrangers.

2024 COATES TALENT LEAGUE GIRLS PLAYER OF THE WEEK:

Round 1 – Marlo Graham (Northern Knights)
Round 2 – Ash Centra (Gippsland Power)
Round 3 – Lou Painter (Bendigo Pioneers)
Round 4 – Mischa Barwin (Tasmania Devils)
Round 5 – Sara Howley (Geelong Falcons)
Round 6 – Maggie Mahony (Oakleigh Chargers)
Round 7 – Mekah Morrissy (Geelong Falcons)
Round 8 – Jemma Reynolds (Dandenong Stingrays)
Round 9 – Sophia Green (Murray Bushrangers)
Round 10 – Priya Bowering (Tasmania Devils)
Round 11 – Tayla McMillan (Eastern Ranges)