Claremont 21-year-old Madeleine Scanlon is a running defender who has improved plenty over the past 12 months for the Tigers, with her offensive ability incredibly eye-catching. Standing at 172cm, Scanlon is a good height to impact in the air, and she reads it well, able to take the ball cleanly above her head. Her work rate and second efforts also standout, with her athleticism and area that separates her from a number of her peers at WAFLW level.

One aspect of Scanlon’s game is being able to intercept off half-back and charge down the field to use direct passes - by hand or foot - to try and open up the game for her side. She can push up the ground, but is traditional found in the back half, often trying to size up options inside and hit those passes to teammates in space. The knock that comes with this gamestyle and is still a work in progress from Scanlon is her kicking consistency, just needing to tighten up and hit more precise, pinpoint passes. She generally makes good decisions, but puts it to an area rather than direct, so there is scope for further improvement in her game.

Given Scanlon is still 21, she is a player who has plenty of years ahead of her, but also has more experience than a number of others in consideration for an AFLW list spot. She has a great offensive presence about her, and could easily slot into a half-back role, with her development undoubtedly likely to improve even further at the elite level. She will need to up her defensive pressure however, averaging just over a tackle per game at WAFLW level.

Overall, Scanlon is a high upside player who has areas to sharpen up or improve, but the foundations to become a really solid talent are there. If an AFLW club can harness her athleticism and work rate, then they could have a player.