Amelia Radford was a key component of Essendon’s 17-point Dreamtime victory over the Tigers on Saturday night.

The 28-year-old enjoyed a career-high 18 disposals on the wing, providing important run and carry in a blistering display from the Bombers.

After a whirlwind 2022 saw Radford make the jump from a VFLW premiership into the Dons’ inaugural AFLW side, the extra time to develop within the group this season has paid dividends.

“It’s exciting, I feel like my game’s been building each week and it’s nice to get out there and show a bit of my talent running up and down the wing,” Radford said.

“It’s an important role for the team to hold that width and I really enjoy it.”

The Bombers were tested by Richmond’s inside presence in the third quarter, with a big final term eventually sealing the result through some quality link-up play.

For Radford, the side’s running game proved critical in the dying stages, and it is only just beginning to flourish.

“Our contested possession, winning the ball and backing ourselves in to spread and play our really aggressive, attacking football with run off half-back (was important)”, Radford said.

“The connection between the lines has really built over the pre-season, and once we get that ball going it’s hard to stop.”

Sitting with a 5-2 record ahead of a clash with the Eagles, Radford is keen to keep building into the business end of the season.

“We were all hoping to have a solid year off the back of just missing finals last year and we’ve definitely put our best foot forward. It’s really exciting,” Radford said.

“Obviously, last season was very rushed together and then this season we’ve had a lot of time to build our game style and plan.

“Everyone’s been working really hard on the training track and the coaches have been great in educating us on what style we want to play and it’s starting to show on the field.

“Every week, we get better and better.”