YOUNG Gold Coast star Ava Usher plays with some dash and flash, but as she's shown in recent weeks, she can also bring the crash and bash.
Lauded as a blistering underage talent before the previous two years were wiped out with knee injuries, Usher has lived up to the hype, and more, in her first nine AFLW games.
The Suns teenager has put together a superb debut season and has been rewarded with this week's Telstra AFLW Rising Star nomination.
And what's been most impressive is the balance in her game.
"I know she's got the ability to win the footy and go forward and hit the scoreboard," coach Rhyce Shaw said.
"That's fantastic, and we really drill home to her she's allowed to do that as much as she wants.
"The one thing we've been most proud of is her rounding out her game and continuing to work on her defence and contest.
"I think we saw the benefit of that on the weekend where she was just everywhere.
"She's able to impact games in all phases and that's part of what we try and preach … we've got to be rounded individuals that work together."
In last week's upset win over Melbourne, Usher kicked two goals from 16 disposals that included a team-high seven score involvements.
The week before in beating Brisbane, she laid an incredible 13 tackles to go along with 15 touches.
Speaking ahead of facing Adelaide on Saturday, the athletic teenager said she had worked hard to improve the defensive side of her game.
"Coming in as a first-year player, there's not much more you can do than play your role and try to leave a little imprint and help others be their best," she said.
"We have this little thing called 'red moments'; people making big tackles, working hard, spoils, kicking goals, little efforts that go unnoticed in media or by other people.
"That's the stuff we don't look past and definitely see as a group and a coaching staff."
Playing almost entirely in the forward line, Usher has the second most pressure acts this season of any Gold Coast player and the third most tackles to go along with her nine goals (second in her team) and 42 score involvements (third).
She said it was exciting to be part of a winning team alongside so many Suns Academy graduates.
"Being a young group has not stopped us," she said.
"We've attacked the season well and we've come in and made a difference.
"We wanted to change the identity at the start of the year."
