STRENGTHS:

+ Reading the play
+ Aerial ability
+ Contested marking
+ Penetrating kick
+ Rebounding
+ Strength
+ Versatility

IMPROVEMENTS:

- Agility
- Athleticism

A smart utility who can play across all three lines, Van Berkel produced a career-best season in the brown and gold as that intercept defender who could also still move forward or get around the ball for some extra size. She reads the play so well and intercepts with consistency, sticking the dukes up and rarely dropping a mark.

Van Berkel's 8.6 intercept possessions ranked her first in the VFLW for 10 games or more, with the next highest being 6.9 showing just how crucial she was for Box Hill. Clunking a contested mark per game from five total, she was a natural in the air and showcased her penetrative and precise kick to clear any danger. Winning Box Hill's best and fairest off the back of a consistent season, she looms as one of the top draft prospects from the VFLW.

Having trained on with Hawthorn and even being named as an emergency late in the season due to the Hawks' injury woes, Van Berkel has the frame to make the jump to the next level, and though perhaps a touch undersized for a key position player at 175cm, competes with players of any size. She can still work on some elements of her game such as her agility to make her more mobile at ground level, but has a lot of eye-catching traits.   Photo credit: AFL Photos