West Coast’s prized top draftee Ella Roberts came into her first season of AFLW with little expectation but was pleasantly blown away by the professionalism of the Eagles’ program and is ecstatic after concluding her debut year.

The 17-year-old averaged 13.4 disposals and 3.5 marks in a stellar introduction to the elite level and is a clear contender for the Eagles’ Best First Year Player award and the AFLW’s Rising Star award.

“It was a dream come true and everything I hoped it would be,” Roberts said.

“Obviously I got to know the team, made a few new friends and won a couple of games so it was really good.” 

Roberts spent all 10 games of the season at half-forward and while she is a natural midfielder the Peel product enjoyed the challenge of being in the forward line.

“I learnt a lot about being up forward line more than I thought I ever really would,” she said.

“It would have been nice to get my hands on a couple more goals, but it was really good and I’m interested to see how I go in the next couple of years to see if I stay in that position.

“It would be good to play a bit more in the midfield in the future but overall I did really enjoy my year in the forward line.”

Roberts faced her fair share of challenges coming into the League at such a young age, including balancing school with the life of a top level footballer.

Professionalism was a key area she wanted to get right after being drafted and was extremely pleased to come into an Eagles’ program that championed high standards.

“The whole AFLW experience has definitely exceeded my expectations Having constant access to the facilities and coaches even being around my teammates all the time is something that I’m not used to but I really loved it,” Roberts said.

“Coming in here whenever we want to get those extra training and skills sessions has definitely accelerated my development as a person and as a player. 

“I was really lucky to be in a position where the club and the school were really accommodating with each other and the club always made school the priority so I never missed out on anything, but I didn’t really miss out on too much at footy either so it worked really well.”

Going into the off-season, Roberts is aiming to build on what she states was a productive season for the club and is keen to work on key parts of her game after a short recovery.

“Personally, I’m going to focus on getting as fit as possible. I’ve always wanted to spend a good amount of time working on it but with everything on and a rushed season it was difficult,” she said.

“I’ll have a bit of time off but then I’ll be straight back into it working on my fitness mainly.”