ALLY Anderson is so unassuming on the field, not even her Brisbane teammates realise the impact she's having until they see a replay.
Anderson is in the midst of a brilliant season seven, averaging 22 disposals and five tackles a game to put herself right in the thick of Therabody All-Australian contention for the competition-leading Lions.
The 28-year-old was magnificent in Saturday night's win over Hawthorn, amassing 31 disposals and 10 clearances in a-best-on-ground display.
Brisbane midfielder Isabel Dawes says she's always surprised when she watches a game back to see just how involved Anderson is.
"I always look up to her, she's so consistent," Dawes said from the Lions' new training base at Springfield on Tuesday afternoon.
"She's that great linking player for us.
"She's just been able to rack up the ball more and more. You don't even really notice it in the game until you watch it back and think 'damn, Ally's all over the field'.
"I really try to learn as much as I can off Ally because she's got all these components in her game I'd love to have."
With reigning League best and fairest Emily Bates alongside her and noted run-with specialist Cathy Svarc also grabbing the odd headline, it's easy to see how Anderson flies under the radar.
She has not missed one of the Lions' 62 games since the competition's inception, and this season is clearly her best.
Anderson is ranked in the top-10 for clearances (5.4) and score involvements (3.8) to go along with her disposal and tackle count.
"Ally's always been that great linking up player that gets it to our half-forwards," Dawes said.
"She always goes for the one-two, gets that double up, she's always running in numbers to support you, she's always there for that handball. She does that really well.
"I wish I could do that."
One thing Dawes won't have to wish for is a minor premiership for Brisbane if it can prevail against Collingwood at Metricon Stadium on Friday night.
A win would almost ensure top spot for the 2021 premiers, although Melbourne is still a mathematical chance of passing them with a hefty win over West Coast.
"Last week we were looking at the percentage, that was a goal of ours," she said.
"This week we want to get the win, we want the percentage after that, but we're just looking to get the win this weekend.
"We've had some good run-ins with Collingwood. They always bring it, they're a great team.
"We've got a lot of history there … it's going to be really exciting."
