STARRING in a maiden SANFLW premiership for Woodville-West Torrens, Maia Freemantle was a driving force through the middle of the ground as the Eagles defeated Norwood 9.4 (58) to 3.8 (26) in Saturday’s Grand Final at Alberton Oval.

The bottom-age prospect started on-ball and finished with 22 disposals, four marks (three contested), four tackles, four clearances and four inside 50s in a performance that combined clearance craft with strong overhead work. Freemantle’s performance was the subject of our Player Focus from the game.

Club: Woodville-West Torrens
Height: 168cm
Date of Birth: 13/04/2009

GRAND FINAL: vs. Norwood
Statistics: 22 disposals, 4 marks (3 contested), 4 tackles, 4 clearances and 4 inside 50s

FIRST QUARTER

Starting on-ball, Freemantle was quickly into the contest, winning a free kick on the wing and kicking to advantage into a contest. She showed her poise under pressure soon after, flicking a handball out to space at the centre clearance before recovering the loose ball herself and thumping it inside 50 to find a leading Klaudia O’Neill at the three-minute mark.

Her overhead strength was on show midway through the term, taking a strong contested grab on the wing before finding a teammate in a one-on-one down the line. She continued to link the ground well, delivering from the wing to half-forward with a clean kick.

Not every touch came off cleanly – a handball forced out of the middle under pressure went nowhere – but her work rate out of stoppages was constant, giving off quick hands time and again to keep the ball moving.

Her best moment of the term came in the 21st minute, breaking out of the middle and thumping the ball to a one-on-one where O’Neill marked strongly; elite work from Freemantle to create the opportunity. Freemantle had nine disposals by quarter-time.

SECOND QUARTER

Freemantle continued to find work under immense pressure at stoppages, flicking off handballs to stay involved. A mark at half-forward saw her go inboard with a nice kick effective to the centre half-forward, and she broke out of the middle again at the 15-minute mark, flicking the ball off to help clear it from congestion.

She won another free kick on the wing and kicked down the line, though this one was intercepted. The highlight of her term came shortly after, taking a huge contested grab inside 50 to get the better of Cocks in the air. Freemantle backed it up by taking her set shot from 45 metres out, which fell just short into the goalsquare.

Freemantle reached half-time with 16 disposals, four marks (three contested), two clearances and two inside 50s.

THIRD QUARTER

Freemantle gathered at half-back early in the third term before being dumped in a tackle by Coby Morgan, responding immediately with a tackle of her own. She read the play well soon after, intercepting a wing kick and driving the ball down the ground with a strong kick.

Conditions began to bite in the term, with Freemantle battling cramp from the 19-and-a-half-minute mark as she continued to go in hard deep in defence. She was pinged for holding the ball at half-back at the 21-minute mark, one of the few blemishes in an otherwise polished performance.

She had moved up to 18 disposals, three clearances and three tackles by three-quarter time.

FOURTH QUARTER

Freemantle again started on-ball, giving off quick hands out of the middle early in the term. She won a free kick for a strong tackle on the wing at the one-and-a-half-minute mark, looking to hit the corridor, though no target presented. She continued to provide quick hands on the wing before thumping a kick from the wing to a half-forward contest as the Eagles closed out their premiership win.

While not as many flashy moments, Freemantle still accumulated another four touches and was busy linking up in transition to play a key role for the Eagles.

SUMMARY

Freemantle’s 22 disposals, four marks and four clearances underlined a Grand Final performance built on craft at the coalface and strength overhead – a significant return given she battled cramp through the second half. Starting on-ball in both halves, she was a constant outlet from stoppages, whether releasing under pressure or breaking clear to deliver forward.

Her aerial ability was the standout trait. The 21st-minute passage to set up O’Neill in the first term and the contested intercept mark over Lani Cocks in the second were the two clearest examples of a player capable of winning her own ball in a crowd, backed up by a near-miss set shot from 45 metres that showed her scoreboard upside too.

There is room to sharpen the small things – the early handball to nobody, the corridor kick with no target in the fourth term and the holding-the-ball free kick conceded deep in defence – but none of it derailed her afternoon, and her willingness to keep competing through cramp late in the game spoke to her endurance and team-first attitude.

Freemantle remains one of South Australia’s premier prospects for the 2027 AFLW Draft, and delivering a performance of this quality on the biggest stage of the SANFLW season – in a maiden Eagles premiership, no less – only strengthens her case as one of the state’s most compelling bottom-age talents.