Maria Rioli has seemingly flown under the radar this season, which is far from easy to do given her lineage. But the small forward largely played through the NTFL Women's Premier League where she slotted in as a midfielder who could rotate forward. When stepping up to the Allies for the first game against Vic Metro, Rioli kicked a ripping goal and gave spectators a taste of what she is capable of.

As one would expect from the famous family, Rioli has all the raw traits that catch the eye. From her acceleration and clean hands at ground level, to her game awareness, goal sense and X-factor. The Tiwi Bombers midfielder-forward is a food height at 172cm, and having long being touted as a potential talent to step up, Rioli is one of those players who is father-daughter eligible but will likely be available in the open draft.

The reason is that she is quite raw, with her endurance and consistency needing work. She is not going to be a 15-20 disposal player, more so a 5-10 touch talent, but one who could kick three goals from a handful of touches, or set up score assists. It won't happen consistently, but she has the capacity. Rioli may be a player who benefits from another year of development as she irons out her game, but her highlights and natural footballing ability are as good as anyone's.

STRENGTHS:

- Clean hands
- X-Factor
- Speed
- Game sense
- Upside

IMPROVEMENTS:

- Consistency
- Endurance

Picture credit: Amanda Parkinson