Margaret River product Ella Roberts named in AFLW’s 22under22 team for second time after standout 2024 season

Margaret River product Ella Roberts has received the first accolade from her standout AFLW season, being named in the competition’s 22under22 side for the second time. The 19-year-old, who made her early forays into senior football with Busselton in the South West Football League, was one of two West Coast players selected in the team recognising the league’s best young talents alongside teammate Charlie Thomas. After the announcement, Eagles coach Daisy Pearce said Roberts’ growth over the course of the year had been a pleasure to be a part of. “She has some incredible weapons and is starting to build consistent training habits that will enable her to keep chasing improvement,” Pearce said. “Her progress, from a training perspective, allowed her to impact more consistently across four quarters and the season as a whole. I love working with someone as ambitious and competitive as she is. “It’s exciting to see a 19-year-old with the talent she has already starting to make the connection between consistency Monday-Friday and her performance on the weekend.” Drafted as a tall forward, Roberts spent a greater share of her third season at the top level through the midfield and thrived, averaging 21.4 disposals per game while also kicking six goals across the course of the campaign. Further recognition of her standout season is likely to come at the club’s best-and-fairest awards on Saturday night, where she will come in as a warm favourite to win the top prize. She was also named in the 42-player squad for the AFLW All-Australian side last week, with the team to be announced on Monday.