Our third season review draws focus to an emerging star of the competition.

Stephanie Wales

Avgs: 21 hitouts, 12 disposals, three clearances
11 games

00:54

AFLW Rising Star | Steph Wales stars in round four

Watch the highlights and find out why Steph Wales gets the AFLW Rising Star in round four.

One of the Bombers’ rising stars, Stephanie Wales went from strength to strength in 2023.

The 20-year-old continued to hold her own against more experienced rucks and dramatically improved in almost every major stat category this season.

Wales’ 19-disposal, 14-hitout performance against Fremantle saw her nominated for the Rising Star Award a second time in her career, showcasing her athleticism both in the ruck contest and around the ground.

01:30

AFLW Rd 4 | Wales post-game

Ruck Steph Wales delves into her big performance in Essendon's round four win over Fremantle.

The young ruck continued her form into the back half of the season, including arguably her best performance for the year with 33 hitouts and 16 disposals in a big win over the Tigers in round seven.

A career-high 40 hitouts would come for Wales in the club’s round eight clash with West Coast, growing in stature at clearances as the year progressed into the Bombers’ maiden finals appearance.

01:18

AFLW Rising Star | 'Killer' celebrated by teammates

Following her Rising Star nomination, ruck Steph Wales got a resounding ovation from her team mates in today's team meeting.

Named in the 22under22 squad, Wales is blossoming into one of the AFLW's most promising ruck prospects.

Rewarded with a third-place finish in the club's Best and Fairest after a terrific second season, Wales shapes as an exciting piece of the club’s future.