CLOSING out the AFL Women’s Under 18 Championships, South Australia came away with the 20-point win over Vic Country at Unley Oval. We took note of some of the players who caught the eye throughout the match in our final Scouting Notes of the carnival.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA:

#4 Hope Taylor (South Adelaide)
Wing/Forward | 162cm | 26/07/2008

Stats: 9 disposals, 2 marks, 2 inside 50s, 1 goal

Not a high possession winner, but love what she does with it, usually so effective and coming with either clean hands or metres gained. Kicked a ripping goal in the third term from a tight angle on the boundary, and used the ball well in transition too. Was unfairly pinged for a throw when it was great use of the hands, and worked hard up and down the ground

#6 Lucy Waye (West Adelaide)
Forward/Midfielder | 170cm | 07/06/2007

Stats: 15 disposals, 2 marks, 8 tackles, 3 clearances, 6 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50 1 goal

The hard-running forward started the game well with a brilliant passage of pay winning a free kick for a big tackle then played on from the set shot to get around the player on the mark and launch a goal from 35m out. She was able to remain active and involved throughout the contest and was ultra clean inside 50 and provided an important link between midfield and attack.

#8 Emily Mableson (West Adelaide)
Defender | 171cm | 05/05/2008

Stats: 14 disposals, 3 marks, 4 tackles, 1 inside 50s, 4 rebound 50s

Provided her usual composure behind the ball and was clean with her disposals and equally strong defensively. Finished off her bottom-age carnival well and has positioned herself as one of the top prospects for next season with maturity beyond her years. Rarely panics when under pressure which is important in her role.

#9 Emma Charlton (South Adelaide)
Midfielder | 160cm | 19/06/2008

Stats: 23 disposals, 5 marks, 7 tackles, 4 clearances, 4 inside 50s 3 rebounds 50s, 1 goal

Had another big game to cap off a huge month that included a SANFLW Grand Final best on ground medal. Charlton racked up the ball with ease to be the highest disposal winner afield, applying fantastic defensive pressure and getting first hands to it often. On more than a few occasions she was involved in passes with multiple touches and set up a number of goal-scoring opportunities as well. Hit the scoreboard following a 50m penalty and nailing her chance from the top of the goalsquare.

#13 Georgie Fielder (Glenelg)
Midfielder | 168cm | 28/07/2008

Stats: 19 disposals, 4 marks, 4 tackles, 2 clearances, 4 inside 50s

Found plenty of it all over the ground and worked hard often at the bottom of packs or in congested situations. Though she made some errors by foot, she was clean by hand and outstanding defensively. Even if not credited with tackles, Fielder constantly applied pressure and set up a goal to Mackereth five minutes into the match with a well-weighted handball at half-forward.

#14 Eloise Mackereth (Glenelg)
Tall Forward | 174cm | 27/07/2007

Stats: 13 disposals, 4 marks, 3 inside 50s, 2 goals, 2 behinds

The spark that lit the South Australian flame, Mackereth had a massive first term that resulted in a classy first goal on the run, and then a couple of near misses. Following a quieter second term where the ball didn’t go near her, the Glenelg forward got back to work in the second half and was again lively, kicking a goal from point-blank range thanks to a downfield free, and then set up a major to Summer Ross in the fourth term. Vic Country could not find an answer for her aerial strength and forward craft.

#18 Monique Bessen (Sturt)
Wing | 174cm | 05/02/2007

Stats: 19 disposals, 3 marks, 1 tackle, 1 clearance, 2 rebound 50s, 1 goal, 1 behind

Showed her skill and class throughout the match to make each touch a winner. Coming in off a wing and covering the ground well, Bessen linked up well between the arcs, and capped off her performance with a clean gather off the deck and snap goal nine minutes into the last term. Her movement through traffic, quick hands and foot skills stood out even when under pressure and was prolific throughout the match. Should have had two goals to her name but missed the close range set shot on a slight angle.

#23 Lucy Moore (Woodville-West Torrens)
Midfielder | 164cm | 30/04/2008

Stats: 21 disposals, 5 marks, 6 tackles, 6 clearances, 2 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50, 1 behind

Worked well in tandem with Charlton through the middle, and though at times her kicks going forward were picked off, she kept working and getting her hands on it. Defensively she was outstanding, winning free kicks for holding the ball and constantly harassing the opposition. An unselfish player, Moore looks to bring her teammates into the game as well, while being a well-balanced inside midfielder with valuable defensive intensity.

#27 Polly Turner (North Adelaide)
Tall Defender/Forward | 178cm | 16/01/2008

Stats: 17 disposals, 4 marks, 2 tackle, 1 hitout, 2 clearances, 5 rebound 50s, 1 goal

The Adelaide and Carlton father-daughter eligible player started in defence for the first half then went forward for the second. While most of her best work was done in the defensive 50 – such as a goal-saving touch on the line midway through the second term and strong intercept mark in the back pocket five minutes later – she did kick a goal from a set shot late in the contest to add her name to the goalkickers’ list.

VIC COUNTRY:

#7 Maggie Johnstone (GWV Rebels)
Midfielder/Forward | 171cm | 06/06/2007

Stats: 14 disposals, 3 marks, 2 tackles, 2 clearances, 4 inside 50s

Spent the bulk of her time on-ball, and while she was only credited with two clearances, both were big out of the middle and each touch seemed to come with high impact. Her strength around the contest was important and she set up a couple of shots on goal including a nice handball release when tackled inside 50 leading to an Ava Bibby goal. Has had a big national carnival.

#9 Georgia Tyrrell (Geelong Falcons)
Midfielder | 168cm | 04/08/2007

Stats: 19 disposals, 2 marks, 7 tackles, 3 clearances, 2 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50

A big performance from the Geelong Falcons skipper who was fierce defensively and laying a stack of bone-crunching tackles. Clean by hand when often under pressure, Tyrrell spent time behind the ball helping out when not in the middle. She was a four-quarter performance and able to make good decisions with ball in hand. A terrific national carnival.

#12 Alice Cunnington (Dandenong Stingrays)
Wing | 174cm | 30/06/2008

Stats: 13 disposals, 6 marks, 1 tackle, 2 clearances, 3 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s

Cunnington continued her really strong bottom-age campaign with another linking game off the wing. She seemed to pop up all over the field by covering the ground well and was clean by hand or foot. On one occasion during the second term, the Dandenong Stingrays young gun had a multi-bounce run down the wing which caught the eye. Set up the last shot on goal to Abby Hobson as well with a brilliant delivery to centre half-forward.

#18 Stella Huxtable (Geelong Falcons)
Midfielder/Forward | 172cm | 22/12/2007

Stats: 16 disposals, 1 mark, 3 tackles, 4 clearances, 2 inside 50s, 2 rebound 50s, 1 goal

Started on-ball and then rotated forward where she was able to set up a couple of goal-scoring chances. Got her team up and about just over a minute into the final term where she managed to receive the ball, spin out of trouble and throw it on left boot to bounce home. Earlier, her tackle on Waye – where she pinned one arm and earned a free kick in the defensive 50 – was outstanding.

#19 Ella Stoddart (Gippsland Power)
Defender/Midfielder | 174cm | 30/01/2007

Stats: 13 disposals, 4 marks, 3 tackles, 2 clearances. 4 rebound 50s

Played her role in the defensive 50 and was highly effective by hand or foot coming out of the back 50. She has had higher disposal games, but stepped up when she needed to, and then even moved on-ball for a spell early in the fourth quarter where she won a centre clearance immediately. Strong in the air and did provide run out of the back half which was important for Vic Country.

#24 Nalu Brothwell (Dandenong Stingrays)
Forward | 174cm | 22/10/2007

Stats: 14 disposals, 3 marks, 2 tackle, 2 clearances, 2 inside 50s, 1 goal

Had a blistering start to the game with 10 disposals in the first half and posing a real problem for the South Australian defence. She has the forward craft to put the ball into damaging positions, and though her first set shot midway through the second term was touched on the line, Brothwell added her name to the goalkickers’ list with a brilliant snap that bounced home.

#25 Mizuki Brothwell (Dandenong Stingrays)
Defender | 175cm | 22/10/2007

Stats: 17 disposals, 4 marks, 4 tackles, 1 inside 50, 3 rebound 50s

Similar to her sister, Brothwell had an eight-disposal first term and was everywhere with a few big marks and able to provide an intercepting force at half-back. Effective by foot, Brothwell was not afraid to bite off those 45-kicks or long switches, with a couple of her disposals in particularly being highly impactful and opened up the game for her teammates. One of the best Vic Country players.

#30 Maya Crestani (Gippsland Power)
Ruck | 184cm | 02/08/2007

Stats: 14 disposals, 2 marks, 4 tackles, 22 hitouts, 2 inside 50s

Had a productive game through the ruck and competed well outside the taps, with follow-up work at ground level. Crestani found her fair share of the ball and was quick to dish off by hand when required, and did a little bit of everything around the ground. Hitouts wise she looked the most influential, and was able to battle against a two-pronged South Australian attack.