ANOTHER season of SANFL Women’s action is just around the corner, and while the league year is a little later than usual, South Australian footy fans have the brand new AAMI Talent League to look forward to starting February 28. As has become an annual tradition for Rookie Me Central, we name our top juniors from the league to keep an eye on for the year ahead with the only criteria being either top-age or younger.

We continue our top 15 players to watch countdown – which will run over the three weeks to finish on the eve of the Talent League season – with bottom-aged Woodville-West Torrens star Maia Freemantle among the top two 2009-born talents in our list.

South Australia, Eagles Women'sWing-Midfielder

Maia Freemantle

Height: 168cm

Weight: -

DOB: 13-04-2009

Positional Analysis

Freemantle is capable of playing on any line, having spent most of her time between the wing and on-ball. While her elite athletic traits also lend themselves to her playing at half-back or half-forward, Freemantle has the terrific versatility that enables her to be a coaches dream. She held her own last season as a 16-year-old, and will only be better for that experience alongside a young Eagles midfield.

2025 Stats

SANFLW | 13.3 disposals | 0.9 marks | 6.6 tackles | 2.6 clearances | 2.8 inside 50s | 1.0 rebound 50s | 1 goal (11 games)

AFLW U16s | 20.5 disposals | 2.0 marks | 4.0 tackles | 3.0 clearances | 4.5 inside 50s | 1 goal (2 games)

Key Strengths

Freemantle’s game is underpinned by a supreme athletic base as shown by her sheer domination of the South Australian Preseason Testing Day. Her versatility and smooth-moving around the field stands out, and while she is not as physically imposing as some opponents, she brings an enormous amount of defensive pressure to the fold and chases just as hard without the ball as she runs with it.

2026

With another season of experience and off-season work under her belt, Freemantle will be better prepared to compete against the bigger bodies. She is obviously a naturally gifted athletic talent, and while she will have the opportunity to round out her game as a whole, has shown through her two years at the National Development Championships, and season with the Eagles at SANFLW level, that she will not back down from a challenge.

Summary

Maia Freemantle is one of South Australia’s top prospects for the 2027 AFLW Draft, and has competed well both on the inside and outside for Woodville-West Torrens in the SANFLW. With terrific upside and areas of improvement left in her, it is easy to forget she still has two full seasons until her eligible AFLW Draft.