Essendon young gun Amy Gaylor during the Bombers’ round two win over West Coast. Photos: AFL MEDIA
As the AFLW season moves into the final few rounds and competing clubs scramble for spots in the top eight, so is a fierce battle for the AFLW Rising Star award going on.
And while other first-year players may average higher numbers in possessions and fantasy points, of the six nominees this season, perhaps no other is as important to her side right now than Essendon’s Amy Gaylor.
Seventh on the ladder with three straight wins, the Bombers are legitimate finals contenders. Gaylor, who earned her nomination in the recent three-point win against Sydney, is preparing with her teammates to battle a reeling Western Bulldogs side.
A fourth consecutive win by the Bombers and losses by sixth-placed Fremantle and eighth-placed West Coast this week would further cement the Bombers’ top eight status.
Gaylor was one of the Bombers’ best in the Sydney win, collecting personal season-highs with 15 possessions and 353 metres gained. Her six intercept marks loomed especially large in such a close match.
The Calder Cannons product, who turned 19 only two months ago, has been a more than capable small defender in the Bombers’ backline. Gaylor has averaged a respectable 10 possessions, three tackles and nearly 200 metres gained per match.
Her poise under pressure and decision-making capability stand out, as do her quick hands, and reliable left boot. In the Bombers’ defeat of Gold Coast last Sunday, four days after the win over the Swans, Gaylor had a 90 per cent efficiency rating for her 11 possessions, to go with three contested marks.
Versatility and adaptability also feature in Gaylor’s game. At Calder, she played as an inside midfielder. Gaylor was chosen to vice-captain the Cannons in her last season there, but missed most of it due to a meniscus tear in her knee which required surgery.
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A few months later, she was back on the park though, using her speed and contested ball-winning ability as weapons. Gaylor then represented Vic Metro in the under 18 championships. After arriving at Essendon through the pre-draft, senior coach Natalie Wood slotted her into the forward line in pre-season, then shifted her down back.
It’s easy to see why the Essendon coach is a fan.
“I’m honestly not sure I’ve come across a first-year player who’s been at the level so consistently and been this equipped to play the first five or six games of a season,” Wood told Essendon’s website. “She’s a cool, calm and collected type but she’s also really diligent and an astute learner.”
Essendon’s uncovering a gem in Gaylor, who spent her junior footy years in Strathmore, about a 15-minute drive from the Bombers’ Tullamarine base, is a testament to its striking gold with other young talent.
Forward Amber Clarke, who kicked two goals in the Bombers’ win over Gold Coast, won a Rising Star nomination in 2023. Bomber Paige Scott picked up a Rising Star nomination in Season Seven.
And Stephanie Wales, 21 and fast becoming one of the league’s better rucks, has previously won two Rising Star nominations and last year finished third in the club’s best and fairest.
Gaylor, who grew up playing basketball, only started playing organised football five years ago at her brothers’ encouragement. Once she started getting involved in the game, she became a Western Bulldogs supporter and a great admirer of their then-captain, Ellie Blackburn.
Fans can only imagine the feelings Gaylor might have this weekend lining up against one of her idols. They also can only imagine the regret the Bulldogs might feel at not having the chance to select Gaylor in the draft.
Gaylor seems set to make her presence felt not just in the remaining weeks of the home-and-away season, but also in the finals and beyond.
