When she was drafted, those in the know were talking about Alyce Parker’s Dustin Martin-like fend-off. 

And the first-year GIANT hasn’t disappointed in her first season of the NAB AFL Women’s competition.

The 18-year-old from Holbrook, in southern New South Wales, has made an immediate impact at the top level, playing every game since making her debut in round one.

Parker’s competitiveness around the ball and her commitment to the contest has been a highlight, and she is ranked equal 13th in the competition for contested possessions with 45.

She is also equal 18th for total disposals, to go with her 20 tackles, 18 clearances and eight one-percenters for the season.

So impressive has been her form, Parker claimed one of the two NAB AFL Rising Star nominations for her round one performance against the Lions, where she hit the ground running with 18 disposals (the equal-most for any GIANT), four marks and three tackles.

The tough midfielder has been pushing her case to take out the Rising Star award, which will be decided from a pool of 14 nominees after the conclusion of the home-and-away season. 

Parker has collected the second-most disposals of any of the eight nominees to date, and is leading the way for tackles and one-percenters. 

Many believe Parker could have been the number-one draft pick in a national draft, but with the AFLW’s state-based drafts, the GIANTS were able to snare the talented young gun with their first pick, number 12 overall in the 2018 NAB AFLW Draft.

Speaking after Sunday’s game against Melbourne, where she picked up 20 disposals, Parker said she was making the most of being in a midfield alongside class players like Alicia Eva and last year’s AFLW Players’ MVP Courtney Gum.

“I probably owe that (my form) to the leaders of the group,” she said.

“Being the youngest, I’m absorbing as much as I can and learning, but the reason why I play the footy I do is because of the people I have around me. I’m really lucky to have gone into a midfield with Alicia and ‘Gummo’, and those girls are really helping and driving me and pushing me to do what I can do out there.”

The GIANTS take on the Crows at Unley Oval on Sunday, March 10 from 2.05pm.