When Nell Morris-Dalton truly realised her capabilities during the 2019 NAB League Girls season, she produced a run of form that included a premiership with the Northern Knights and a VFLW debut for the Darebin Falcons.
The 18-year-old power forward booted eight goals in nine games during Northern’s unbeaten home-and-away campaign before taking her game to another level in the NAB League Girls finals.
Morris-Dalton kicked more than half the Knights’ majors across two post-season victories, scoring four of seven goals against the Eastern Ranges and then three of six against the Calder Cannons in the competition decider.
She soon found herself representing Vic Metro at the 2019 NAB AFL Women’s Under-18 Championships and later booted four goals in five Swisse Wellness VFL Women’s games for Darebin.
The Fitzroy (Yarra Junior FL) product is now on the radar of AFLW clubs ahead of October 22’s NAB AFLW Draft – something Morris-Dalton herself didn’t see coming at the start of the year.
“Getting drafted was kind of a goal, but I didn’t really think about it that much,” she said at the recent NAB AFLW Draft Combine.
“I wasn’t in the Vic Metro squad for the last couple of years but I knew I was good enough to be, so I wanted to prove to people that I could be that good and compete well with those girls.
“I was a bit slow to start in the NAB League, but I think once I got my confidence up about halfway through the season, I started to work out my game style and that made a big difference.”
Morris-Dalton pointed to Northern’s Round 6 win against the Gippsland Power as a turning point in her year. Where she’d previously been hesitant in contests inside 50, her marking “just really lifted” that day and spurred some breakout form.
The NAB League Girls Team of the Year member’s strength in contested situations and booming kick began to shine through, and she played a starring role as the Knights redeemed their loss in the 2018 Grand Final with May’s 33-point flag victory over Calder.
“I think I wasn’t allowing time for myself to work out how I best prepare and to understand what makes me play my best game,” Morris-Dalton said.
“I think once I got a good pre-game routine and started to think about what I actually want out of my footy and how I was going to achieve that, it made a big difference.
“I started playing footy because I wanted to make it (to the AFLW) and not just because other people thought I could. That led to a big switch in my game style.”
Morris-Dalton then rode her form from Vic Metro into the VFLW, kicking two majors on debut for the Falcons and learning from AFLW-listed teammates like 2019 Lambert-Pearce Medal-winning ruck Lauren Pearce and midfielder Elise O’Dea.
“There were quite a few good leaders at Darebin and working with them really helped get my confidence up,” Morris-Dalton said. “I was quite close with Lauren and Elise.
“I took some ruck contests in the forward line and Lauren helped me a lot with advice there, while Elise was just a great support at training.
“I really loved that environment.”
NAB LEAGUE ‘FAST FIVE’ QUESTIONS
Most influential person on your football at Northern:
“I really enjoyed playing with Gabby Newton. We were at the Knights together for three years and going through that process with her really helped me, because she’s always making sure I can get the best out of myself. Just watching her and the way she approaches things definitely drives me to be better.”
Most valuable lesson learned in the NAB League:
“Just to not give up and not let people get to you. In those previous years when I didn’t make the Vic Metro squad, I could have dropped off and not had big pre-seasons, but me being here proves that if you can put in the work then you can get there.”
Teammate you’ve most enjoyed sharing the NAB League journey with:
“Gabby Newton (see above).”
Most difficult NAB League opponent:
“Lucy McEvoy (Geelong Falcons) can have a really big impact on the game if you don’t shut her down. I think we actually did that well against her this year, which was a big help in us beating Geelong.”
Most memorable NAB League moment:
“Winning the premiership was amazing. Coming off the loss the year before, the vibe was much calmer and we trusted ourselves a lot more. We also had a really tight group this year, which really helped. It was the perfect way to end my junior career.”
