STRENGTHS:

+ Explosive speed
+ Endurance
+ Versatility
+ Defensive pressure
+ Physicality
+ Upside

IMPROVEMENTS:

- Kicking
- Decision making

PROFILE:

Bacon comes from an athletic background, where she played a variety of sports including basketball and netball alongside her athletics and cross country. In her top-age year, she set her sights on reaching the elite level of Australian rules football, and by the end of the Talent League Girls program, hit her straps with her best form of the season.

The Dragons utility played both half-back and through the middle, as well as off a wing. Though not the highest accumulator of the ball, Bacon's explosive speed coupled with her physicality and aggression at the contest make her such a concern for the opposition. When she tackles, she tackles with intent, and laid a whopping 7.5 per game across her 11 matches for the Dragons.

A real ground level player who had more aerial presence when stepping into the 'Big V', her work at half-back for Vic Metro really caught the eye. She ran off and provided some drive from defence, and set up scoring chains in the process. With a high-level endurance base to go with her speed and all-round athleticism, Bacon can continually impact games with her repeat contest work.

Bacon models her game on explosive midfielders such as Monique Conti and Jasmine Fleming, while the Sydney Swans supporter also looks up to ex-Dragon Sophia Hurley. Athletically, Bacon is able to compete and excel against the best of players, posting a blistering 3.16 seconds in the 20m sprint, and 7:55 in the 2km time trial, showing off that speed-endurance mix.

In terms of her improvements, Bacon has identified her kicking and decision making as ways to further improve. That was evident throughout the season as she would have that almost complete offensive and defensive game aside from the final execution. Those areas of improvement will not worry clubs too much knowing she has come from a different sporting background, and her strengths are harder to teach.

Going forward, Bacon has clear deficiencies to work on in her game, and given her progression in 2023, along with her evident upside, the Dragons midfielder/defender could add extra strings to her bow at the elite level. That speed-endurance mix is a point of difference, and with her natural aggression and ability to play both offensive and defensive roles, she is an all-round threat that just needs to tidy up the final execution.