Melissa Anderson Draft Profile

South Adelaide Women'sMidfielder

#6

Melissa Anderson

height: 174cm

weight:

D.O.B: 17-08-2005

Leagues: SANFL Women's League, AFLW U18 Championships

Snapshot
Analysis
Summary

SNAPSHOT: “The sole mature-age player who received an AFLW Draft Combine invite, Anderson has an array of athletic weapons and natural footballing abilities.”

Mel Anderson was one of the feel-good stories of the AFLW Draft Combine invites, rewarded for a couple of years of hard work through the SANFLW after missing out in her top-age season. The 20-year-old has seen a couple of drafts go by but remained steadfast in her determination to get to the top level, having been a train-on with the Crows and fast-tracked her development.

Anderson’s journey started out at Hackham in the Southern Football League where even as a 14-year-old looked the goods with 15 goals in 11 games. She represented the league in her first season, and then switched to Flagstaff Hill during the global pandemic and played eight matches, booting nine goals while being named in the best every match.

Another 36 goals from 31 games followed the next two seasons, and by the end of the 2022 season had been named in the best 46 times from 50 games. That same season, Anderson made her senior debut for Flagstaff Hill and ended up playing off in a premiership and impressing through that game. She also represented the Southern Districts’ senior side at the South Australian Country Football Championships.

Having risen to fame, Anderson’s top-age season saw her recruited to South Adelaide where she plied her trade early in the Development League but again looked a class above, named in the best through her last three games and was a damaging force inside 50. She earned a spot with the Panthers’ League side and went on to kick five goals from nine games and average 8.3 disposals and 4.3 tackles.

Anderson would fulfil her rise up the ranks with a spot in the stacked South Australian team, averaging a goal a game from her 6.3 touches, 2.0 marks and 2.0 tackles for the Croweaters. After missing out on being selected in the AFLW Draft that year due to being “a bit green”, she went to work to improve. Over the past two seasons, Anderson has improved her output, and the defining factor came in 2025.

The now 20-year-old represented the SANFLW in the State Games against the VFLW and WAFLW, and when key midfielders were out, went on-ball and looked the goods there too. With a successful career-best season under her belt, the South Australian was rewarded with a State Draft Combine invite and is very much a readymade talent ready to explode on the elite stage.

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STRENGTHS:

+ Explosive speed
+ Athleticism
+ Aerial ability
+ Power
+ Defensive pressure
+ Penetrating kick
+ X-factor

IMPROVEMENTS:

- Endurance
- Strength

Having gained great exposure to the elite training standards through the Adelaide Crows' AFLW program, as well as the raging success of back-to-back premiers South Adelaide, Anderson is one who when she got the Draft Combine invite, would have come as no surprise to locals. The dynamic forward is one of the most powerful and exciting players in the strongest team of the strongest state league.

The Panthers' forward athletic profile starts with her explosive speed, having starred at the Draft Combine across all the indoor physical tests. She is a terrific leaper at the ball, as well as evasive and powerful. She can break away from opponents, and then use her damaging kick to penetrate defensive zones or launch from 50m. In short, she is a human highlight reel.

But while Anderson's offensive game is delightful - she booted 16 goals across her past 33 SANFLW games as that half-forward - her defensive game is even better. She utilises her athletic gifts to apply enormous pressure around the forward arc, and makes life difficult for opponents to try and clear the ball. She can beat them in the air, or at ground level, then if they do win the ball, she is ready to pounce on them and make them earn it.

Though she is powerful and a fierce tackler, she can further improve her strength, which is an area she highlighted post-season. That improvement could enable her to compete better one-on-one at ground level or in a wrestle marking contest with her aerial ability her modus operandi as to how to win the ball in a fair contest.

On top of that, her endurance is the other element that can further improve, with Anderson still building up the endurance tank to be able to play full games in the midfield. Her forward role enables her to push up and spend time in there, but then dart back and be a real threat around the big sticks.

Anderson has clear X-factor, and if she is not kicking the goals herself, she is setting them up for her teammates. She has such a damaging kick inside 50 that she can launch from range, but also just as easily clunk a contested grab or lay a bone-crunching tackle. As a whole, she is a readymade talent who can immediately add to any forward 50 at the elite level if given the chance, and has worked hard for the opportunity.

DRAFT RANGE: Late

SUMMARY:

Mel Anderson is an incredible athlete who has so much potential and is still only 20 years of age. She can go to another level in a more full-time environment, and has shown improvement year on year that will only continue at the next level. If she gets her chance, then she will no doubt have plenty of highlights into the future.

SANFL Women's League

Season	Team	K	HB	D	M	T	HO	CLR	I50	R50	GL	GM	K	H	D	M	HO	T	G	DC
2023	South Adelaide Women's	59	17	75	13	39	0	2	19	3	5	9	6.6	1.9	8.3	1.4	0.0	4.3	0.6	36
2024	South Adelaide Women's	126	51	177	52	85	0	10	39	6	9	16	7.9	3.2	11.1	3.3	0.0	5.3	0.6	50
2025	South Adelaide Women's	137	70	207	53	105	1	33	47	12	7	17	8.1	4.1	12.2	3.1	0.1	6.2	0.4	56
Total	-	322	138	459	118	229	1	45	105	21	21	42	7.7	3.3	10.9	2.8	0.0	5.5	0.5	142