SNAPSHOT: "The most accomplished player outside the AFLW who is universally regarded as the best SANFLW competitor yet to get on an AFLW list."

STRENGTHS:

+ Contested work
+ Defensive pressure 
+ Stoppage craft
+ Production
+ Consistency
+ Clean hands

IMPROVEMENTS:

- Speed
- Polish

PROFILE:

It remains a head scratcher that Jess Bates still needs a draft profile as there would be very few people mounting a case against her being on an AFLW list. The most consistent player across the country outside the AFLW in the last three seasons, Bates rarely ever plays a bad game. She dominates the stoppage, has improved her offensive work to match her elite defensive work, and she has one of the more well-rounded compete profiles.

The only real sticking points are perhaps she does not have that explosive speed of some others, and she can polish up her kicking at times, but it is getting really nitpicky considering just how much she offers. Consistently matching - and often beating - AFLW players one-on-one, and holding her own in a super strong Glenelg midfield, there is no reason why Bates cannot step up and play at the elite level.

Her production has not just been a factor this year, but has done it for multiple years over arguably the two strongest state leagues in the country. She then represented the SANFLW against the WAFLW and dominated again, winning best on ground in that game. Put simply, there is not much more she can do and if there was one player who deserves to be on an AFLW list, it is Bates.

DRAFT RANGE: Late/Rookie