SOUTH Australia controlled play for the entire first half to set up a huge 52-point win over Western Australia on day one of the AFLW Under 18 Championships. The Sandgropers fought back to win the second half, but it was a case of too little, too late, going down 12.6 (78) to 4.2 (26).

We noted down some of the players across both sides who caught the eye.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA:

#6 Charli Bassett (East Perth)
Midfielder/Forward | 156cm | 19/11/2008

Stats: 12 disposals, 1 mark, 6 tackles, 7 clearances, 3 inside 50s, 2 rebound 50s

When it comes to Bassett, you know exactly what you are going to get each week and that is uncompromising pressure and effort. She’s building on her fundamentals, but her ability to extract the ball from stoppages was a highlight, and it showed with her game-high seven clearances. While not a massive accumulator, she continued to show up and put her body on the line, regardless of the score.

#15 Cara Dziegielewski (West Perth)
Ruck | 182cm | 19/04/2008

Stats: 14 disposals, 7 marks, 5 tackles, 34 hitouts, 5 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s

The standout player from an offensive standpoint, Dziegielewski is the hot favourite to go back-to-back in the All-Australian ruck spot, and against one of her biggest rivals and fellow National Academy member Miyu Endersby among others and really took control in the middle. Not only did she rack up 34 hitouts, but clunked seven marks around the ground. Having been rested from the National Academy match last week, it would not have been surprised to see her easing into it, but she was a shining light around the ground and did it all from defensive acts, to great grabs and effective disposals.

#22 India Bonadeo (Claremont)
Tall Defender | 177cm | 05/08/2008

Stats: 21 disposals, 6 marks, 2 tackles, 1 hitout, 2 clearances, 4 rebound 50s

The top-ager is thriving now she has found some continuity and looms as a genuine high-upside player. Her aerial contest is fantastic, she reads the play exceptionally well, and aside from a couple of poor errors, generally uses the ball effectively as well. Was under siege at times so perhaps a touch more composure would tidy up the former, but as a whole she was fantastic. She played aggressive when required, and dropped back to help out deep too, not afraid to both fly and compete at ground level.

#26 Mia Carlshausen (Perth)
Defender | 171cm | 10/04/2008

Stats: 19 disposals, 11 marks, 6 rebound 50s

The most consistent player across the four quarters and really showed her aerial ability against taller opponents. The National Academy member was composed with ball in hand, clunked grab after grab, and was more often than not responsible for clearing the danger and delivering downfield. A lovely ball user by foot, Carlshausen thrives when she has time and space, but even when in trouble made good decisions and at worst, cleared the immediate danger.

#34 Bella Nelson (West Perth)
Tall Defender | 174cm | 10/03/2010

Stats: 16 disposals, 12 marks, 5 tackles, 1 clearance, 5 rebound 50s

An enormous accumulator who wins the bulk of her disposals from intercept marks, Nelson is an ultra-offensive and aggressive runner out of the back half. She is already impacting games against players two years her senior, and is learning the ropes at the Falcons through the WAFLW. A promising sign was laying five tackles and perhaps holding her defensive line a little more, which those defensive elements are the next step in her progression. Hard to beat in the air as she reads it so well and has a booming kick.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA:

#5 Layla Vizgaudis (South Adelaide)
Midfielder/Forward | 161cm | 22/04/2008

Stats: 19 disposals, 1 mark, 3 tackles, 1 clearance, 3 inside 50s, 2 rebound 50s

Was part of a heavy South Australian midfield rotation, and played her part in a star-studded team. The South Fremantle prospect has enjoyed a great start to the season and won a brilliant clearance from the middle, with another highlight being setting up a goal to Cameron. Popped up all around the field and applied some nice pressure with her skills and evasion some of her standout traits.

#7 Maia Freemantle (Woodville-West Torrens)
Midfielder/Forward | 169cm | 13/04/2009

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

Got to start on-ball and the bottom-ager then went forward and hit the scoreboard thanks to her smart positioning and knack around the big sticks. Her quick hands in traffic helped her extract the ball or keep it moving fast in transition, with Freemantle one of those players who boast an enviable speed-endurance mix. A concussion has delayed the ideal start to her season, but she was another who just played her role.

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

Stats: 23 disposals, 2 marks, 1 tackle, 7 inside 50s, 4 rebound 50s, 1 goal, 1 behind

A smooth operator who boasts class with a capital ‘C’ is the best way to describe the way Mableson goes about her football. She’s had her massive production games at times, but when she can use her smarts and vision to dash downfield and hit targets in space and open up the game, she is at her most damaging. The amount of times she would either intercept or win the ball and take off and then hit the pass that few can, really got the ball going South Australia’s way. A lovely long goal from just inside 50 midway through the third term rewarded her for her efforts.

#9 Emma Charlton (South Adelaide)
Midfielder | 162cm | 19/06/2008

Stats: 32 disposals, 4 marks, 4 tackles, 4 clearances, 3 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50

The least surprising statline of the day, with Charlton one of those players you just know is going to rack up the ball and impact wherever she goes. Her ability to bring others into the game and use it effectively be it inside or out is a delight, and her strength when standing up in the tackle and then to draw opponents allowing others freedom only adds to her bag of tricks. Missed a checkside attempt on goal that slammed into the behind post, but rarely made too many mistakes, and just does it all.

#12 Julia Faulkner (Woodville-West Torrens)
Forward/Midfielder | 164cm | 06/05/2008

Stats: 18 disposals, 1 mark, 6 tackles, 4 clearances, 2 inside 50s

As mentioned in the key talking points out of the game, Faulkner might be the highest impact per involvement player in the draft crop. We’re not talking per possession because she’s not a huge accumulator at times. But each time she goes near it, good things happen. It might be a deft tap, it could be a block or shepherd, it might be a one-on-one win against the odds and just desperately getting the ball to space which opened up a teammate. The Woodville-West Torrens player is someone who passes the eye test for impact far better than any statline suggests. Defensively she is outstanding, but her team-first nature leads to high-impact gains on the offensive end as well.

#14 Lani Cocks (Norwood)
Midfielder | 162cm | 15/09/2009

Stats: 25 disposals, 2 marks, 5 tackles, 3 clearances, 5 inside 50s, 2 rebound 50s

The top-end bottom-ager was a busy bee all throughout the game, using her great tank to impact the game consistently. Her burst speed out of the middle and quick hands to extract stood out, while she held her own defensively against bigger opponents. At times Cocks can tend to blaze away a little but she has the licence to do so given she can break the lines and put it into dangerous spots, but with another 18 months to develop, she is an ultra-exciting prospect.

#15 Lucy Moore (Woodville-West Torrens)
Midfielder/Forward | 165cm | 30/04/2008

Stats: 23 disposals, 5 marks, 5 tackles, 3 clearances, 4 inside 50s

While almost exclusively playing midfield at Eagles, Moore was part of a heavy rotation in the middle and up forward, where she competed strongly in the air and at ground level. Her defensive traits are always on song, while her quick bursts and vision going forward is great. In the third term at one stage, Moore intercepted a ball at half-forward and hit a lovely low kick into Nuss. Another contributor from the Croweaters who just played her role and found plenty of the footy.

#16 Elke Cameron (Norwood)
Forward | 161cm | 15/09/2008

Stats: 19 disposals, 6 marks, 1 tackle, 7 inside 50s, 2 goals, 1 behind

While she’s been a locked in midfielder at Norwood this season, Cameron returned to the forwardline where she provided an aerial threat and a dangerous link-up player around the top of 50. The tenacious small clunked half a dozen marks and was ferocious in close, able to feed the ball out and still get to the outside and impact there too. She booted two goals, both coming from set shots, and she popped up consistently to be a menace for the West Australian defence.

#18 Madeline Nuss (Sturt)
Forward | 168cm | 04/02/2009

Stats: 13 disposals, 3 marks, 1 tackle, 4 goals, 2 behinds

The bottom-ager has been in ripping form through the SANFLW and that carried into the AFLW Under 18 Championships. Kicking four goals – and could have had another couple to be honest – Nuss loomed as the largest threat inside 50, and worked well with West Adelaide’s Chelsea Newitt. She kicked them in all manner of ways, being a marking target and also getting creative such as soccering off the deck to score her second. Flies under the radar with Cocks and Fremantle in her age group, but Nuss is building quite a CV in her own right.

#32 Polly Turner (North Adelaide)
Tall Forward | 176cm | 16/01/2008

Stats: 14 disposals, 6 marks, 2 tackles, 1 inside 50, 1 behind

The Adelaide and Carlton father-daughter prospect was not quite herself with finishing – missing some she would normally kick – but everything else worked well for her. Turner provided a strong presence in attack, clunked some great grabs, and drew attention away from the likes of Nuss and Newitt who benefited. If she’d finished off a few of her chances it would have been a complete game, but she set up goals such as Nuss’ soccer, so will build nicely into next week’s match against the Allies.