STRENGTHS:

+ Vertical leap
+ Reading the play
+ Intercept marking
+ Positioning
+ One-on-ones
+ Kick penetration
+ Run-and-carry

IMPROVEMENTS:

- Explosive speed
- Decision making under pressure

Without a doubt, McBride-Loane's trademark strength is her vertical leap where she can fly both straight up and float across contests to intercept. Though more than comfortably clunking grabs, she is just as defensively-minded, not afraid to put the fist up and produce a timely spoil and bring the ball to ground. Thanks to her vertical leap, the Western Jets and Vic Metro defender is capable of playing on a variety of opponents.

When the ball is coming into her zone, McBride-Loane reads the play exceptionally well which only further aids her ability to intercept. She times her jump, safely pulls down the mark and then will assess her options. As a rule of thumb, McBride-Loane's kicking is both penetrative and effective, with the Jets' prospect always weighing up her options with any time to spare.

One of the few who have their head on a swivel, McBride-Loane will usually switch play after taking a mark, or look for a high retention pass. However when kicking out or on the move, she will usually thump the ball long for distance to try and get it down the field.

The only knock on her disposal is at times her decision making under pressure. When having time, McBride-Loane will take as long as she needs to dispose of it, and is never rushed in her decision making. However when put under real heat, that is where the bulk of her turnovers occur. She will be forced to bomb long and then set up if it does turnover to intercept and hopefully mark to buy time.

Perhaps the greater pressure when under heat comes from her main athletic improvement which is the lack of explosive speed. She actually is able to run and carry really effectively, and can move around the ground effectively with nice endurance, but does not have hat explosive first few metres where she can shake off would-be tacklers or blaze past potential traffic.

Other than those two elements, there is a lot to like about McBride-Loane's game. She looms as a really effective interceptor and when she does have time, is not afraid to slice up the opposition with pinpoint passes down the field. Her best work gets done across half-back and she can also hold a high line, though is quite often helping mop up in the defensive 50.

Given her vertical leap and reading of the play, McBride-Loane will no doubt have a number of suitors who could see her as that third tall, playing on the opposition's third forward and then floating across to intercept or assist her teammates.