"She's going to be a superstar - no doubt."
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Those were the words of Tasmania Devils girls' coach Jodie Clifford after Harriet Bingley's debut for the side last week.
The 16-year-old had five clearances in the first three quarters of her time in under-18 competition, before vision was lost and statistics were unable to be recorded, with her coach singing her praises.
"She had a heap of kicks and just the way she uses the ball, she's so efficient with the footy in her hand and it can be a short kick to a target or a long penetrating kick to gain territory, so there are several plus sides for her," Clifford said.
"She plays her best footy when she's forward, she can take good contested marks and she certainly knows where the goals are."
Clifford identified contested football as an area that needs improvement from last week's loss as they face Greater Western Victoria Rebels in Ballarat on Sunday.
The side will be bolstered by the inclusion of captain Candice Belbin, who missed last week with concussion despite being cleared to play.
"Our girls didn't play badly through the middle but I feel that they just missed her leadership and the intensity that she brings just by being there," Clifford said.
"Just by having her standing back in that centre bounce and around the stoppages, the girls will just lift to her standard so she's a great inclusion for us and we're stoked to have her back."
The match against the Rebels shapes to be a crucial one for the Devils, who sit in seventh position with a win-loss record of 3-2.
It will also be one of the first times the Devils play at Ballarat, which Clifford said the girls are looking forward to as they start at 12.30pm after the boys.
Devils boys
The ladder-leading boys' side will be missing their five superstar Allies members, giving big chances for others to step up.
Colby McKercher, Jack Callinan, Thomas Beaumont, Heath Ollington and James Leake are all on a training camp ahead of the Allies' first game next Sunday, accounting for five of the six changes.
Launceston defender Arie Schoenmaker, who played in last year's futures game before the AFL grand final, comes in for his first game of the season as does teammate Tiernan McCormack, Longford's Rocky Barron and North Launceston's Dom Pitt.
Pitt has worked his way into Devils selection from outside the squad, having put together strong performances for North Launceston in the Tasmanian State League.
The Rebels sit in ninth, with three wins and two losses, as the game is set to get under way at 10am.
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