A DOMINANT second-half display carried Western Jets to a 9.3 (57) to 1.6 (12) victory over Calder Cannons in Round 5 of the Talent League Girls, with the Cannons leading 9-0 after the first term before the Jets booted nine unanswered goals across the final three quarters in difficult wet conditions. We took note of some of the players from each side that caught the eye.

WESTERN JETS:

#1 Charli Parsons-Jones
Forward | 167cm | 02/10/2009

Stats: 19 disposals, 3 marks, 3 tackles, 1 clearance, 4 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50, 4 goals

The bottom-ager was the match-winner, producing a four-goal performance that showed composure and instinct in equal measure. Her second goal – a brilliant finish in the pocket in wet conditions after gathering cleanly – was followed by two third-quarter efforts that showed her range, the first a left-foot finish from 35 metres that never looked in doubt, the second a composed set shot after finding space to mark from 30 metres. Her fourth was a confident run into goal in the final term to put the result beyond doubt. She also created for others – a short pass to West inside 50 that set up a goal was a highlight of her awareness. The bottom-ager is building a season that demands attention.

#2 Addison West
Midfielder/Forward | 167cm | 16/05/2008

Stats: 16 disposals, 3 marks, 8 tackles, 6 clearances, 3 rebound 50s, 1 goal

West was one of the Jets’ best contributors with the smooth-moving ball-winner showing off her full suite of offensive and defensive abilities. She converted a set shot from 35 metres in the second term after rotating forward and marking cleanly inside 50, and showed good defensive application with three rebound 50s across the game. She was caught holding the ball in the first term trying to break a tackle – a common pattern for a player whose instinct is always to break free and drive forward. A strong all-round performance.

#4 Ruby Jones
Midfielder | 158cm | 02/03/2008

Stats: 18 disposals, 2 marks, 9 tackles, 3 clearances, 4 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50, 1 behind

Jones spent the game on the inside, having been well-renowned for her work off a wing. She more than held her own around the ball with her relentless defensive pressure a shining light throughout. She was clean at ground level and showed good awareness – a short pass after winning a free kick in the second term set up a goal to Mylee Lake – but her set shot from 25 metres in the same term that was touched on the line was an ‘almost’ moment. She followed up dropped marks consistently and kept competing until the final siren. A real workhorse showing.

#5 Taylah Olivieri
Midfielder/Forward | 160cm | 14/02/2008

Stats: 13 disposals, 7 tackles, 1 clearance, 3 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50, 1 behind

Olivieri was fierce and competitive with relentless repeat pressure acts the defining feature of her day – seven tackles reflected a player who never stopped chasing. She had some eye-catching moments when she had the ball: a brilliant spin handball in a tackle in the second term was a piece of skill under pressure, and a deep kick to the hotspot in the same term showed her ability to create when going forward. A near-miss snap in the second term that went behind showed her forward instinct, and she showed great hands slung in a tackle in the final term. The pressure acts never let up.

#9 Kiara Boyd
Defender/Midfielder | 173cm | 02/06/2008

Stats: 23 disposals, 8 tackles, 4 clearances, 3 inside 50s, 2 rebound 50s

Boyd was one of the Jets’ most important contributors, doing her best work moving between defence and the midfield with consistent composure. She moved on-ball in the second term and immediately had an impact – a handball receive and burst from the middle kicked inside 50 well – and her best individual act came in the final term when a nice kick deeper inside 50 directly set up Parsons-Jones’ fourth goal. The starting in defence to get her hands on the ball and moving into the middle might be the key to a big on-ball game as she was more prolific at the stoppage once she had her eye in the game.

#16 Piper Dixon
Forward/Midfielder | 158cm | 16/10/2008

Stats: 16 disposals, 1 mark, 2 tackles, 3 clearances, 6 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50, 1 behind

Dixon drove the ball inside 50 on six occasions from the midfield – a return that reflected her consistent forward thrusting throughout the game. Her mark at half-forward in the second term that set up the Parsons-Jones goal was her best individual contribution, and she kept generating going forward despite a pinged running too far ruling in the first term and a holding the ball call in the third. She was hurt in the final five minutes and came off, which was the unfortunate end to a game where her ability to generate scoring chances was terrific.

CALDER CANNONS:

#1 Charlie Calleia
Defender/Midfielder | 170cm | 28/10/2008

Stats: 15 disposals, 1 tackle, 1 clearance, 2 rebound 50s

Calleia did her defensive work reliably across the game, winning the ball out of congestion when under pressure and clearing downfield effectively. She dashed out of defence well from the back 50 in the second term and pushed up to the wing in the final term with purpose. Just plays her role each week and does her best. Spent time around the ball too later in the game.

#2 Sienna Colgan
Midfielder/Defender | 171cm | 04/04/2008

Stats: 18 disposals, 2 marks, 7 tackles, 3 clearances, 2 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s

Colgan tried hard in a tough afternoon for the Cannons, finding it consistently and working in both directions across the ground. She showed a mix of quick hands around the stoppages, an ability to get ball to boot and downfield fast, as well as a fierce attack on the opposition and contest as she tried to will her side throughout the match.

#4 Chloe Capeci
Defender | 168cm | 16/12/2008

Stats: 21 disposals, 6 tackles, 1 clearance, 2 inside 50s, 4 rebound 50s

Capeci was Calder’s highest ball-winner with 21 disposals and four rebound 50s in a game where her side was largely outclassed. She managed her kick-ins effectively with short passes to the pocket and provided good run from handball receives down the ground. Her work shifted on-ball in the final term where she continued to find it consistently. An honest and consistent showing in a difficult team context.

#5 Renee Ford
Midfielder | 167cm | 06/07/2009

Stats: 20 disposals, 11 tackles, 5 clearances, 1 rebound 50, 1 behind

The conditions suited the tenacious Ford who competed relentlessly through the middle all day. She won a quick one-two in the opening minute of the game, won a free kick for a great tackle on Olivieri in the second term, and produced two successive holding-the-ball tackles in the third term to show the defensive intensity that defines her game. Had her say around hte stoppages too with the five clearances and winning a lot of contested ball.

#6 Lily Frangoulis
Midfielder/Forward | 152cm | 20/04/2008

Stats: 16 disposals, 1 mark, 12 tackles, 1 clearance, 4 inside 50s, 1 behind

Frangoulis was relentlessly busy in the front half and around the ball all day, starting forward and rotating through the middle as the game demanded, and showed some natural footy smarts and elite groundlevel pressure. Her near-miss from in front in the first term was the frustrating moment of her day, but four inside 50s alongside the tackling output reflects a player who never stopped trying to create. She links up beautifully in the front half picking out targets downfield.

#9 Holly Clough
Key Forward | 184cm | 20/01/2009

Stats: 14 disposals, 3 marks, 7 tackles, 1 hitout, 2 clearances, 4 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50, 2 behinds

The promising tall was the Cannons’ most dangerous forward and showed her aerial quality and forward positioning consistently despite the scoreline. Her two behinds were unlucky – the first almost a great goal, the second a kick pushed wide and out on the full after a big tackle inside 50 in the third term. Her intercept mark at half-back and drive down the ground in the first term, and her ability to position herself as a big marking target at centre half-forward in the second half, showed the two-way quality that makes her one of the competition’s more imposing bottom-age tall forwards. Seven tackles is also remarkable pressure for a key forward, with the conditions not really suiting the talls.

#10 Coco Balmain
Tall Defender | 175cm | 01/01/2009

Stats: 18 disposals, 1 mark, 2 tackles, 1 inside 50, 6 rebound 50s

The bottom-ager was the Cannons’ most consistent defensive rebounder with six rebound 50s, consistently clearing the ball from the back half and pushing up the ground to provide run and carry going forward. She shrugged a tackle at half-back cleanly in the final term and her ability to kick long down the ground from the defensive half was a reliable weapon. A solid defensive showing from a player who kept doing her job despite the result.

#15 Chloe Bullen
Defender | 170cm | 15/01/2008

Stats: 12 disposals, 3 tackles, 3 rebound 50s

Bullen was effective and reliable from the back half, doing her best work with great run and carry from defence and smart bodywork one-on-one deep in defensive positions. She drove the ball downfield and her best individual moment was a brilliant fake that created space to charge out of defence with purpose. Three tackles reflected her defensive application alongside the ball use. A tidy and competitive defensive showing.