One of the youngest members of Essendon’s AFLW side is standing the tallest, both metaphorically in importance and literally in height.

19-year-old Steph Wales has quickly become an integral part of the inaugural Essendon AFLW side.

At 188cm tall, Wales’ composure, athleticism and competitiveness has been a highlight in the Dons’ inaugural season.

In just her eighth AFLW game, Wales collected 21 hit outs, seven disposals and seven tackles., backing up an exciting round three, three-goal, 10-hit-out and eight-disposal performance.

Wales’ game in the Bombers’ win over Sydney was rewarded with a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination.

All of this while playing in the ruck – a position she was never meant to play but has shone in after Dons’ first choice ruck Jorja Borg suffered a season-ending injury.

As she continues to build in her first season of senior football, Wales was elated to have been recognised as the bombers’ second rising star for 2022.

“It feels pretty cool to be recognised for my efforts over the season,” Wales said.

"I feel like I’ve improved a lot in a short amount of time so it feels really great.”

The position Wales finds herself in now as an important player in Essendon’s best 16 would feel like a world away to where she was at the start of the year.

Wales started 2022 playing local football at the Oakleigh Dragons, before signing with Casey Demons in the VFLW. There, Wales had a breakout season playing eight games for Casey alongside her twin sister Lucy.

Her potential was noticed by Essendon, where she was selected in the 2022 NAB AFLW Draft with pick No.32.

Wales attributed her quick development to the environment surrounding her at the Bombers, with coaching staff and teammates alike providing a platform of belief.

“I haven’t really played much footy at a high level, but I think (what’s helped improve me quickly is the) quality coaching and quality teammates,” she said.

“(Assistant coaches) Andrew Phillips, Brett Gourley and (senior coach) Natalie Wood have been great this year. Obviously I’m playing a role that I didn’t think I was going to play with Jorja Borg out, so the belief they’ve had in me and constant feedback anytime I need a bit of feedback has been crucial.”

Another facet Wales has enjoyed in her first season is coming up against her twin sister Lucy Wales, who was also drafted this year but by rival expansion club Hawthorn.

Amazingly, Steph made her debut in round one against Lucy in Essendon’s first-ever AFLW game against the Hawks with the twins playing against each other in the ruck.

Wales said it’s surreal to have her sibling in the same competition and even more special to receive a rising star nomination the week after her sister did.

“It was quite weird round one, obviously we were competing against each other which was a bit different, but we’re really supportive,” Wales said.

“It’s cool because we can compare experiences, but also be a bit more individual than we probably have been in the past.”

“We’re both really happy for each other, it was cool that she got [nominated] last week, neither of us were expecting it when we got it at all, so that definitely added to the excitement.”

With only two weeks left of the season Wales is continuing to set her sights on developing her craft.

If the first eight weeks have been anything to go by, Dons fans can get excited about the commitment Wales has to being the best she can be.

“I always go into weeks of training knowing what I want to work on. I think we can knock down our goals fairly quickly because we’re always out there doing extras,” Wales said.

“I really believe regardless of how I perform on the weekend, there’s always so much more I can bring to the game, which probably helps with what I’ve been doing this season, improving each week.”