Never one to wane on effort, Felicity Crank is one of a number of Stingrays who consistently put out strong performances in the 2022 NAB League Girls season. Though not the most polished player, Crank’s inside presence and defensive pressure are up there with the very best, and she co-captained the Stingrays throughout their run to the grand final.

Crank has a lot of traits that lend her to being able to deal with senior football on the inside. One could never doubt her courage, leadership and work rate as she burrowed in time and time again around the contests. The Stingrays skipper perhaps does not have the eye-catching athleticism that some of her fellow midfielders have, but she is a first possession winner at ground level, and uses her stronger frame to win the hard ball and feed it out to the runners.

From an overall perspective, Crank is likely to have to slot into that inside midfield role as she continues to build her athleticism, because she could also be a strong defensive forward or lockdown defender with her defensive capabilities. She has great power, competes well one-on-one, and unlike many inside midfielders, is a kick-first player who had a 3:1 ratio between her kicks and handballs.

Her disposal overall is sound, generally efficient, and though others can be more potent in terms of penetration and pinpoint accuracy, Crank will always be striving to get the ball to the advantage of her teammates. She can work her way forward and kick a goal - as she did to win the game against Eastern Ranges earlier this year.

Overall, Crank has some readymade traits, and when she can improve her overall athleticism, she can become more potent and add extra weapons to her arsenal.