Gippsland Power Female Talent Coordinator Chelsea Caple gives her thoughts on the club's upcoming U18 girls season.
2018 FINISH: 8th (3-5-1 record)
2018 BEST AND FAIREST: Tyla Hanks
2018 TEAM OF THE YEAR SELECTIONS: Tyla Hanks
2018 AFL WOMEN'S DRAFTEES: Tyla Hanks (Melbourne)
OTHER FORMER PLAYERS ON AFLW LISTS:
- Selected in 2017: Darcy Guttridge (Collingwood), Holly Whitford* (Collingwood)
2019 HEAD COACH: Scott Armour (second season)
2019 SEASON START: vs Oakleigh Chargers @ SkyBus Stadium, Sunday March 3
TOP 2019 AFLW DRAFT PROSPECT
Nikia Webber (local club – Traralgon): "Nikia had a great season last year, highlighted by her under-18 Vic Country selection and leading our goalkicking as a bottom-ager. She naturally impacts the game in the forward line as she has a very good kick and reads the play well. We hope she'll spend more time through the midfield this season and use her skills and footy smarts to impact games and bring her teammates into the game."
POTENTIAL DRAFT SURPRISE PACKETS
Maddison Shaw (Bunyip): "This is Maddy's second year in our program. She spent some of her pre-season in Cambodia helping build villages and teaching locals how to play football, and we've really seen her blossom since coming back. She played predominantly off half back last year and we hope she'll spend more time in the midfield this year, where she can use her pace to break the lines. We also expect her to be a strong leader both on and off the field this season."
Shanara Notman (Warragul): "Shanara comes back into our program this season after spending last year focusing on her basketball. She previously played in our V/Line Cup (under-16) team so she isn't completely new to footy, but she's still very raw and exciting. We like her athleticism and her height which will make her very hard to play against."
17YO PLAYERS TO WATCH
Chandra Abrahams (Spotswood): "Chandra is a key-position prospect who already has experience at Vic Country under-16 level last season and in AFL Victoria's multicultural programs over the past few years. We've seen her play her best footy down back, but with her height and speed she could play a variety of roles for us."
Holly Andrews (Bunyip): "Holly also played for the Vic Country under-16s last year. She is a strong midfielder who has built her game around work rate and her contested footy. We've seen her leadership develop over the pre-season and she's helping lead the way for the group."
Megan Fitzsimon (Bairnsdale): "Megan was another under-16 Vic Country player last year. She spent most of her time on the wing last season, where we saw her ball-winning and running abilities really shine through. She uses the ball well by foot and reads the play well. She's quietly spoken but leads by example on the field."
LEADERSHIP MATERIAL
"We have numerous girls who have shown real growth in their leadership both on and off the field and we're excited by the depth of leaders developing in our program. Across the board we've seen the girls take real ownership of their training and preparation and we think this will be a real positive for the team come gameday."
TEAM STRENGTHS
"I think we're really going to build on the momentum we created last year. We're excited by the new and young talent coming through our program and we think those girls will really complement our top-agers and the more experienced girls in our squad. Our goal over the pre-season has been for the girls to bond together well as a group and to continually improve their fundamental skills."
