Ellyse Gamble's new "fierce" approach to her football has paid off early in her AFLW campaign.
The two-time Burnie Dockers premiership player was rewarded for her strong showing in the Western Bulldogs' win over Geelong on Friday with one vote in the AFLCA AFLW Champion Player of the Year Award.
It was the 23-year-old's first career vote in the prestigious award in her 15 career matches having established herself in defence having also spent time up forward and in the ruck during her time at the kennel.
She was rewarded for a night where she showed great strength in defence as the backline kept the Cats to 1.3, with Gamble finishing with a career-best nine touches to go with one mark and four tackles.
It came after she told Australian Community Media she had a new focus of "being more fierce" after coach Nathan Burke had told her she was "too nice" when it came to her football. The 69th pick in the 2016 draft is averaging a career-best 7.5 disposals a game in 2021.
She is the second Tasmanian to poll votes this year after Hobart's Ellie Gavalas in round one for North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos.
It was the 23-year-old's first career vote in the prestigious award...
Gamble's performance came on the same weekend that former teammate Daria Bannister hit the spotlight after her two goals in 30 seconds for North against Melbourne.
The 21-year-old kicked a career-best 2.1 and finished with six disposals and two marks in what was her seventh career match after making her debut in 2018.
Launceston's Bannister told North Melbourne's website this week that her long injury history [including an ACL rupture and a broken collarbone] had made her more resilient as she finds her very best form at the level.
Alex Fair
Deputy Editor of The Advocate on the North-West Coast of Tasmania.
Deputy Editor of The Advocate on the North-West Coast of Tasmania.
