STRENGTHS:

+ Production
+ Versatility
+ Reading the play
+ Footy IQ
+ Kicking
+ Vision
+ One-on-ones
+ Defensive pressure

IMPROVEMENTS:

- Composure
- Explosive speed
- Continuity

Baker-West really has it all when it comes to her game. The durability over the last two seasons will be a little bit of a question mark, but she has still managed to get out and show what she can do when on the park as she did in nine Talent League games this season. What you get with Baker-West is sublime footy IQ, sheer ball-winning ability and a knack to cover the ground with ease, winning possession after possession, even in the same chain.

While Baker-West may not have explosive speed, she still cruises around the field effectively and is certainly not slow. She can separate herself from opponents by darting or weaving, and also shrugging would-be tacklers with great strength through the hips. That same strength extends overhead where she, pound-for-pound would be among the best contested marks.

Though she is only 165cm, she can jump and clunk consistently and her ridiculous numbers suggest just that. An average of 5.8 marks in 2025, of which more than one per game is contested, shows her aerial prowess, but she is just as competitive at ground level. Her defensive pressure has always been brilliant for a player who wins the ball so much, and while some of her huge disposal tallies can be attributed to getting into loose space and racking them up, she does the hard running as well to compete at every stoppage.

Looking at her disposal, her kicking with any time or space is a delight and she can hit short, sharp passes, on the 45 or find a target long down the line with superior vision. The knock on that element of her game is her composure around stoppages as by her own admission she can tend to "bomb it" when under pressure. That is linked to her lack of explosiveness which she was hoping to develop over time.

From a football perspective, Baker-West has great IQ and by reading the play, is able to get back when needed, then surge forward if required. She finds her possessions in all manner of ways, and while she does not kick a heap of goals, has played as a forward in her younger years, booting five goals from seven games in 2023.

Ultimately with Baker-West, clubs know what they are getting, even if they have not seen much of it the last two seasons. She can use both sides of her body if required, has no issues getting to the right spots winning the ball, can impact on all three lines and fill any hole required. While a little smaller than the modern day taller midfielders, she competes above her size and is still taller than a number of midfielders at AFLW level.

Expect her to land somewhere in the first round given her accolades and potential, with too much upside and potential with her to stray much beyond the top 10, and she could very easily be inside it as well.