At just 19 years of age, this record-breaking teen is only just scratching the surface.
In her third season in the AFLW, star midfielder Ella Roberts elevated her game to new heights to be crowned the West Coast Eagles 2024 Club Champion.
Since joining the League, Roberts has been on an upward trajectory and this year played in a way that had her coaches, teammates and fans watching on in awe during a sensational campaign.
“Overall, I was pretty happy with my season,” Roberts said humbly.
“I think I grew a lot from previous years, as a person and also as a footballer, which translated onto the field.
“I managed to play some consistent footy which I probably haven’t been able to do as much in the past, so I was pretty happy with this year, but there’s always room for improvement.”
The Roberts stocks continued to rise this season, averaging career-bests for disposals (21.4), contested possessions (12.2) and clearances (3.5), while also kicking a career-high six goals.
At season’s end, she received due recognition for her efforts with selections in both the final All-Australian and 22Under22 teams.
Roberts’ aerial work was again another stand-out feature of her game, one she spent a heap of work on in the off-season, and her hard work paid off in a big way.
When the was a ball up for grabs, Roberts was never far away from the action, finishing fourth in the League for contested marks (13).
The elite midfielder managed a career-high 11 marks in week six against Port Adelaide, before breaking the Eagles’ AFLW club disposal record in week nine against Geelong with 33 touches.
“The biggest thing I worked on in the off-season was probably my midfield craft,” Roberts said.
“I started to transition into more of a full-time midfielder, so just learning a bit more about that position, whether it be body work, fitness or just natural understandings of the game.”
In a number of challenging matchups throughout the season, Roberts proved to be the difference, the youngster showing drive and determination to turn the game around and swing momentum back in West Coast’s favour.
Her quick thinking and football smarts consistently got the better of her rivals, putting the League on notice and ensuring extra attention from opposition teams to try and nullify her involvement each week.
“Ella is an incredibly natural footballer, she’s got great instincts for the game, she’s an amazing athlete with her power and speed,” senior coach Daisy Pearce said.
“She has all the skills you need to be a great footballer, her overhead marking, her kicking, and it’s natural to her because she’s put the time in and has loved her footy her whole life.
“What I loved about her season was her growth and her mindset across the year, and just the shear workload we asked of her was a major step up from last year, and it just points to how much work she’s put into her body.
“That consistency of her training really improved and will continue to improve, so it’s really exciting to think that she already produces what she does, and provides us with so much joy and inspiration, and her best is definitely still to come.”
Roberts has been earmarked as a talent to watch ever since she rose through the ranks playing football against boys in Margaret River.
At just 15 years old, she played a crucial role in Peel’s 2020 WAFLW premiership victory, before backing it up in 2021, and well and truly making a name for herself in the WA football landscape.
Roberts was recruited by the Eagles with the 14th pick in the 2022 AFLW Draft, making her debut in the opening round of Season Seven against Port Adelaide.
The writing was quickly on the wall for this bright young athlete, earning a Rising Star nomination in her sixth game at the top level, before being named the Best First Year Player at the Eagles’ Season Seven Club Champion Awards.
Roberts made history in Round One of the 2023 campaign when she was awarded the RAC Derby Medal against the Dockers, becoming the first AFLW Eagle to ever win the award, even more impressive doing so in a losing side.
She was recognised for her outstanding performance with her second Rising Star nomination in as many seasons, ultimately going on to finish third in the League in the AFLW Rising Star count at the end of the season.
The accolades continued to mount, with Roberts becoming the first AFLW Eagle to be named in the 2023 AFL Players’ Association 22Under22 team and was the most selected forward across the competition for a place in the side.
Roberts polled 115 votes in the 2024 Eagles’ Club Champion awards to finish ahead of elite defender Charlie Thomas (114), in a thrilling count, with star midfielder Bella Lewis (106) rounding out the top three.
Emerging defender Beth Schilling (102) finished fourth following her breakout campaign, followed by experienced midfielder Ali Drennan (100) in her first season in the blue and gold.
In other awards, exciting young midfielder Courtney Rowley was named Best Club Person, following a season when she returned to the team in week eight after suffering an ACL injury in the final game of 2023.
In one of the biggest breakout stories of the season, defender Beth Schilling starred with a new-found confidence, and was presented the Trademark Player award, as voted by the playing group.
The Eagles’ No. 2 draft pick Jess Rentsch received the Emerging Player award, with the 18-year-old midfielder-turned-defender showing positive signs for a bright future in the League.
