STRENGTHS:

+ Explosive speed
+ Hurt factor
+ Aerial ability
+ Strength
+ Versatility
+ Clean hands

IMPROVEMENTS:

- Endurance
- Fundamentals

PROFILE:

Stone is an incredibly dynamic player, and her hurt factor and general impact on games cannot be understated. She came into the year as a clear first round talent, but from early on it was evident that it was going to be the pointy end of the first round, and is among the top Victorian prospects in the country.

A Collingwood supporter, Stone will switch her black and white stripes for brown and gold, with the Ranges' ties with the Hawks allowing them to pre-list her. In an open draft, she would be contesting the top Victorian pick and among the top five players in the country.

Focusing in on her game, Stone is a natural midfielder, who cut her teeth as a half-back in her bottom-age season. Her ability to win the ball both via hand and off the deck makes her a dual threat in that sense, and allows her to play inside and outside, or just about any position.

In 2023, Stone struggled with some concussion issues which saw her miss a number on games, and then returned to the Ranges late in the season where she spent a fair bit of time forward, and rolled into defence. But as soon as she had a few stoppages in the midfield, her impact in the form of clearances and inside 50s was profound.

With ball-in-hand, she is clean in dishing off to teammates, and while some of her fundamentals such as her kicking consistency could improve particularly when under pressure, she gains so much meterage and can power away from opponents. This allows her to down the opposition defensive zone and have enormous hurt factor with her touches even if they are not pinpoint.

From a defensive perspective, she is strong and does all the team things right, laying plenty of tackles and leading from the front. Once she wins the ball, she is hard to stop, but is just as reliable without it as she is with it. It is rare that a player who is a high impact ball-winner can be equally impressive on the defensive end, but Stone fits that bill.

A self-confessed improvement for Stone along with her fundamentals is her endurance. Given her time off due to injury, she has been managed on minutes, and the Ranges talent is building up her tank again. But from every other athletic perspective, Stone is incredibly strong.

Stone marks the new-age midfielder, having clocked a blistering 3.08-second 20m sprint, the second fastest in history. Her ability to show that in-game will be hard to miss on the big stage. She is a good medium height at 170cm, and will compete against anyone. Going forward, she will likely start as a half-back before progressing into the midfield with time.