WESTERN Jets ball-winner Sierra Grieves has taken the lead in the Rookie Me Central Medal for the Coates Talent League Girls competition in the latest update following Round 12. The Vic Metro onballer and AFLW Academy member is in some great form, and she has moved four votes clear on top.

Grieves has polled 37 votes across the season, but pulled clear with 12 votes across the past three weeks to move up from second place with 25 votes after Round 9. She is one of only two players to poll in each of the past three weeks, with the other being Sarah Poustie who entered the top 10 and became her club’s outright top poller, with the Chargers midfielder recording 10 votes in the past three weeks and now has 25 votes for the season.

Hot on Grieves’ heels is bottom-age Eastern Ranges midfielder Tayla McMillan who polled back-to-back best on ground performances in Rounds 10 and 11, before missing Eastern’s Round 12 clash. That allowed Grieves to add three more votes to an already one-vote lead. Dandenong Stingrays top-ager Jemma Reynolds – who co-led after Round 9 – sits third with 31 votes, a tad unlucky having only played one game in the apst three weeks, and earning the full five votes.

In fourth place is the other co-leader in Ash Centra who like Reynolds has only played one game in the past three weeks, but was tagged out of the match as Tasmania Devils won. She remains on 26 votes alongside fellow Vic Country utility Lou Painter who added nine votes to her season tally across Rounds 10 and 11.

Poustie (25 votes) is sixth, one clear of Northern Knights’ Zoe Hargreaves and Devils’ bottom-ager Mischa Barwin, while reigning RMC Medal winner Sara Howley and another Devils midfielder in Priya Bowering round out the top 10 having polled 23 votes for the season.

Of the other clubs not to have a representative in the top 10, Sandringham Dragons co-captain Scout Howden has polled 19 votes, one clear of GWV Rebels’ Millie Lang. Incredibly, the Rebels have a trio of players around that mark, with Claire Mahony and Isabella Davies on 17.

Murray Bushrangers’ Sophia Green (17 votes) is the highest polling 2008-born player, while Calder Cannons duo Jade McLay and Chloe Baker-West have each polled seven votes. From the Northern Academies, potential pick one Havana Harris polled an incredible 17 of a possible 20 votes, while Isla Wiencke (Giants Academy, 11 votes), Isabella McDonough and Laura Roy (Lions Academy, 10 votes), Imogen Brown (Swans Academy, eight votes) and Kierra Zerafa (Northern Territory, six votes) round out the rest of the sides.

In terms of the club-by-club total votes, Oakleigh Chargers have pinched the lead off Eastern Ranges by a vote (108-107) for the first time in 2024, with the reigning grand finalists well clear of third placed Tasmania Devils (89 votes), while Northern Knights (83) are the other side with more than 80 combined votes. Geelong Falcons, Gippsland Power and Dandenong Stingrays all sit next on 76 or more votes.

TOP 20 LEADERBOARD

1st. Sierra Grieves (Western Jets) – 37 votes
2nd. Tayla McMillan (Eastern Ranges) – 33 votes
3rd. Jemma Reynolds (Dandenong Stingrays) – 31 votes
Eq. 4th. Ash Centra (Gippsland Power) – 26 votes
Eq. 4th. Lou Painter (Bendigo Pioneers) – 26 votes
6th. Sarah Poustie (Oakleigh Chargers) – 25 votes
Eq. 7th. Zoe Hargreaves (Northern Knights) – 24 votes
Eq. 7th. Mischa Barwin (Tasmania Devils) – 24 votes
Eq. 9th. Sara Howley (Geelong Falcons) – 23 votes
Eq. 9th. Priya Bowering (Tasmania Devils) – 23 votes
11th. Emma McDonald (Oakleigh Chargers) – 20 votes
12th. Scout Howden (Sandringham Dragons) – 19 votes
Eq. 13th. Millie Lang (GWV Rebels) – 18 votes
Eq. 13th. Jasmine Sowden (Gippsland Power) – 18 votes
Eq. 15th. Isabella Davies (GWV Rebels) – 17 votes
Eq. 15th. Sophia Green (Murray Bushrangers) – 17 votes
Eq. 15th. Havana Harris (Suns Academy) – 17 votes
Eq. 15th. Claire Mahony (GWV Rebels) – 17 votes
Eq. 19th. Kayla Dalgleish (Dandenong Stingrays) – 15 votes
Eq. 19th. Sophie McKay (Sandringham Dragons) – 15 votes
Eq. 19th. Mackenzie Williams (Tasmania Devils) – 15 votes

LEADERS BY CLUB

Bendigo Pioneers – Lou Painter (26)
Calder Cannons – Jade McLay & Chloe Baker-West (7)
Dandenong Stingrays – Jemma Reynolds (31)
Eastern Ranges – Tayla McMillan (33)
Geelong Falcons – Sara Howley (23)
Giants Academy – Isla Wiencke (11)
Gippsland Power – Ash Centra (26)
GWV Rebels – Millie Lang (18)
Lions Academy – Isabella McDonough & Laura Roy (10)
Murray Bushrangers – Sophia Green (17)
Northern Knights – Zoe Hargreaves (24)
Northern Territory – Kierra Zerafa (6)
Oakleigh Chargers – Sarah Poustie (25)
Sandringham Dragons – Scout Howden (19)
Suns Academy – Havana Harris (17)
Swans Academy – Imogen Brown (8)
Tasmania Devils – Mischa Barwin (24)
Western Jets – Sierra Grieves (37)

CLUB LEADERBOARD

Oakleigh Chargers – 108
Eastern Ranges – 107
Tasmania Devils – 89
Northern Knights – 83
Geelong Falcons – 78
Gippsland Power – 76
Dandenong Stingrays – 76
GWV Rebels – 64
Sandringham Dragons – 57
Western Jets – 55
Suns Academy – 54
Bendigo Pioneers – 52
Murray Bushrangers – 44
Lions Academy – 28
Calder Cannons – 27
Giants Academy – 21
Swans Academy – 21
Northern Territory – 8