West Coast coach Daisy Pearce backs young gun Ella Roberts to reach AFLW superstardom

West Coast coach Daisy Pearce has backed young gun Ella Roberts to continue her ascent into AFLW superstardom, saying there was no ceiling on what the teenager could achieve. Roberts has made a huge impression since being drafted by the struggling Eagles in 2022, with her second season aged just 18 seeing her finish as the runner up in the club’s best-and-fairest award and becoming the first West Coast player to be named in the competition’s 22under22 team. Speaking after an open training session in Dunsborough as part of the club’s community camp, Pearce said the Margaret River product’s lofty level of ability was matched by her tenacious desire to improve. “The sky’s the limit for El,” she said. “With someone that talented and who takes so much in her stride, you can forget how young they are. “She’s such a competitor. As we get to the more match-style drills, we see her strengths really come to the fore.” Drafted as a tall forward, Roberts was unleashed more around the ball last year and made a massive impact, including in a best-afield performance in round one’s western derby where she gathered 24 disposals. Pearce said she would continue to use the young star in a hybrid role. “It’ll be similar to last year, probably a little bit more midfield time,” she said. “We’ll give her the opportunity to continue developing in the midfield, but with the interchange cap coming in last year and the nature of the game, the weapon that she has in being able to go forward will help her and help us as well. “With Ella, you’d be happy with her anywhere on the ground, she’s a person that can have an impact.” Having been back in official pre-season training for four weeks, Pearce said she had been heartened by the club’s training standards lifting with every session. “We’ve seen huge improvements in that area, it’s building every week,” she said. “We were really lucky that since mid-January, we were putting on optional sessions, and we had a big bulk of our squad really coming in and having that appetite to want to train and want to work. “They’re realistic about where they’re at and what our history’s been to this point, but all it takes now is hard work and wanting to really buy in and do it together, that will see us get more and more competitive on-field. “As the coach, I couldn’t have asked for much more in that space, in terms of their attitude and their hunger.” The AFL announced last week the women’s competition’s draft would become fully national from this season, with Pearce saying replacing the old state-based model was a “big step”. “It’s another sign of how quick the AFLW’s grown,” she said. “That’s an exciting one for us as a club, that on top of the developing talent here in WA, there’s now a truly national network that we can look into as well. “(It) will only help to grow the competition.” A strong crowd gathered to watch the Eagles go through drills at Dunsborough Playing Fields, with chief executive Don Pyke among the club’s contingent on the ground.