ADDISON West was the standout player on the ground in a losing side at Avalon Airport Oval on Saturday, racking up 34 disposals and 10 clearances as the Western Jets fell to Murray Bushrangers 7.10 (52) to 4.6 (30) in Round 6 of the Talent League Girls. It was a performance that underlined why she is considered one of the competition’s intriguing ball-winners accumulating relentlessly across four quarters.

Addison West
Club: Western Jets
Height: 167cm
Date of Birth: 16/05/2008

STRENGTHS:

+ Clearance work
+ Contested ball-winning
+ Speed
+ Work rate and follow-up
+ Endurance and ground coverage
+ Composure under pressure

IMPROVEMENTS:

– Kicking efficiency
– Strength

Statistics (Round 6 vs Murray Bushrangers): 34 disposals (19 contested, 18 uncontested possessions), 4 marks, 4 tackles, 10 clearances, 4 inside 50s, 2 rebound 50s — 52.4% kicking efficiency, 58.8% disposal efficiency

West is a top-age prospect who enters the back half of the Talent League Girls season as one of the Jets’ most important players, and her 34-disposal, 10-clearance game against Murray is the kind of individual output that holds up regardless of the scoreboard. The 19 contested possessions – more than half her disposal tally – is a defining number, confirming that her ball-winning isn’t stat-padding.

It is worth noting too that the contested figure reflects possessions rather than disposals, meaning several of those instances she picked the ball up and was immediately tackled before she could get it away – a distinction that makes the 34-disposal total even more impressive. She played inside midfield for the full game and matched up on the likes of Carmela Perri and Latoya Holdsworth across the afternoon. The kicking efficiency (52.4 per cent) will be the area of focus coming off this game, but on the question of whether she can win the ball consistently at this level, there is no longer much doubt.

FIRST QUARTER:

West started the game on in-form Murray Bushrangers midfielder Perri, and after not too long won the ball once it sspilled off hands and burst away to kick down the ground and get her first forward foray. In what would be a story of the day outside her ball-winning, West’s knack to get first hands to it but be immediately set upon by the opposition, showed hoe aware of her they were.

She has spent plenty of time on a wing in the past, so West was comfortable moving into space and winning the ball there, taking a couple of good marks later in teh first term and always looking to hit those 45 kicks into the corridor. While her kicking is an area she is still sharpening up, the ability to have her head on a swivel and look in board was very good. She finished the opening term with seven disposals and amongst the busier players on the ground.

SECOND QUARTER:

A moment of note early set the tone – starting on-ball alongside Latoya Holdsworth, West could have been tighter, and, as the Jets talent went to win her own ball, Holdsworth won the centre stoppage and got it forward, resulting in a Bushrangers goal. The rest of the quarter, though, was sharp. Off the next centre bounce, she gathered the handball receive and got the ball quickly to Ruby Jones with a clean and efficient play.

By the third minute she was sliding for a mark inside 50 with her long-range shot just falling short inthe goalsquare. She had another noticeable moment with a clean pickup just inside 50 taking a ping with the outside of the right boot but it fell short and was intercepted again. Her ball-winning in the first half of the term was particularly noticeable, as she linked up by hand in the middle, then followed up to get it to teh forward pocket and set up a goal to Xanthe Chard.

THIRD QUARTER:

West recommenced the second half against Holdsworth where she was stationed on the defensive side of the centre bounce to be the sweeper and use her speed.She won the ball but her quick hands off went straight to the opponent who cleared it, but fortunately no damage was done. In the opening minute, the other improvement in West’s game – building greater strength – was evident as she was shrugged off in a tackle.

Aside from that though, you could not fault her term as she accumulated the ball with ease, racking up another eight touches. Quite often, West looked for the one-two if it was one and she was able to dash past to win the ball, but she was equally at home as a first-possession winner as she was as a second or third possession-winner. Her clean hands continued to be a feature alongside her speed in the corridor, while a strong tackle to lock the ball up in the 14th minute before resting on the bench for the remainder of the quarter concluded the third stanza.

FOURTH QUARTER:

Working just as hard in the last quarter as she was in the first, West finished the game strongly with nine disposals and soaring past the 30 touches on the day. She started the term on Perri and again was quick and clean by hand in the first minute, got the ball away when tackled and had a few disposals within the early moments of the quarter. Had the opposition not tackled her so quickly on multiple occasions at the stoppages, West would have easily exceeded 40 touches for the day.

Her fourth term potentially showed off her versatility all over the ground, with West still winning clearances, but when forward, crumbed well from a front half stoppage to get it further forward, timing the collect to perfection. She also stood tall on the defensive 50, not paid a mark that looked like it would be, and had to rush off a handball but didn’t panic. Her shot on goal in the 14th minute from 40m just fell short again, which, like her almost touches, was the third shot she was close to getting had it not been for distance.

SUMMARY:

Addison West was a player who caught the eye last year for the Western Jets, with her ability to keep popping up and doing nice things on the regular, without being entirely consistent. However in 2026, that has appeared to change. Though her 16-disposal performance against Calder was perhaps an outlier, she has otherwise collected 21, 24 and now 34 disposals for the Jets in the Talent League Girls, primarily playing on-ball which allows the likes of Taylah Olivieri (forward) and Kiara Boyd (defence) to play other roles at times.

What stands out about West’s game is her speed-endurance mix, enabling her to cover the ground well and win repeat possessions at multiple contests. Her kicking can be a little scratchy at times, but it feels like it’s improving, as is her decision making with ball in hand. Her strength is still an area that could develop – as evidenced by some broken tackles or being forced to quickly dispose of the ball when at a stoppage – but that will come with time.

As a whole, West is building a nice draft profile in her top-age season. She is not eligible to the Western Bulldogs as a father-daughter, but her family folklore at the club will surely see the red, white and blue keen on keeping tabs on her. West turns 18 on Saturday, with the talented ball-winner celebrating the milestone with a huge clash against Oakleigh Chargers at Warrawee Park from 12:30pm.