
2023 Preseason Testing Top 10s – Coates Talent League Girls
ALL 12 Victorian Talent League Girls regions convened at Narrandjeri Stadium on Sunday to partake in their annual preseason testing event, under the eye of Rookie Me. Up to 35 Under 18 athletes from each squad underwent a range of physical tests; from vertical jumps, to sprints and endurance running. >> SCROLL for all top 10 results […]

Coates Talent League officially launched
AUSTRALIA’s premier AFL talent pathway has undergone its third rebrand, with the official launch of the Coates Talent League today. Set to enter its 32nd year in 2023, the competition started out as the Victorian State Football League (VSFL) in 1992, before perhaps being most famously known as the TAC Cup, and most recently the […]

2023 NAB League coaching changes
NAB LEAGUE regions in Victoria and Tasmania have all but completed their coaching appointments for 2023, after it was announced that roles would again been split between girls and boys teams. The move comes as part of the AFL’s commitment to boosting resources in the girls’ talent pathway, with all regions now having dedicated full-time […]

2022 AFLW U18s team review: Vic Metro
PRODUCING a much-improved effort on last year, Vic Metro was one of the team’s to beat in the 2022 AFL Women’s Under 18 Championships. They might have lost to South Australia by less than a kick, but charged home hard to try and get over the line. Earlier in the carnival, they held Vic Country […]

Newton’s laws of footy – Star Bulldog takes coaching reigns
“I’ve said it to him at every training, I’ve been saying ‘Burkey, watch out mate. I’m coming for your role, give me 10 years'”. She may joke about a takeover, but Western Bulldogs AFLW star Gabby Newton is making her way up the footballing ladder. Having undergone a dual shoulder reconstruction in late-2021, the 20-year-old […]

2022 RM Central NAB League Girls Team of the Year
OUR 2022 Rookie Me Central NAB League Girls Team of the Year is in, and grand finalists Western Jets and Dandenong Stingrays have lead the way with a combined seven representatives. Whilst they both unsurprisingly had multiple representatives, so did Murray Bushrangers and Sandringham Dragons (three), Eastern Ranges and Oakleigh Chargers (two). The remaining seven […]

2022 RM Central NAB League Girls Team of the Year squad released
AHEAD of the 2022 NAB League Girls Grand Final, Rookie Me Central has released its 50-player extended list for the 2022 NAB League Girls Team of the Year. The squad is comprised of players from across the 13 full-time regions, based off their performances throughout the season. Each week in 2022, we produced a NAB […]

Player Focus: NAB League Girls – Ava Jordan (Northern Knights)
YOU would be hard pressed to find many more consistently impressive bottom-agers running around in the NAB League Girls competition this year than Ava Jordan. The diminutive Northern Knights midfielder has been a shining light for her region in a tough season, proving reliable as any player league-wide with her effort, ball winning nous and […]

The Smallacombe with a big dream
FROM starting out in Auskick with the boys, to a code switch, and her current campaign through the elite talent pathway, Ella Smallacombe is steering her footballing journey in one direction. The Northern Knights forward is enjoying her third year in the program, back as an over-ager after debuting in 2020 and adding eight games […]

Jordan uses experience to her advantage
IT is easy to forget that Ava Jordan is still a bottom-ager. The Northern Knights midfielder has already proven a standout in her region, having come second to Georgie Prespakis in the 2021 NAB League Girls best and fairest count as a first year player. The diminutive ball winner, standing at 148cm, enjoyed an extended […]