THE IMPROVED skill on display at the recent NAB AFL Women's Under-18 Championships bodes well for the 2020 season and beyond, according to North Melbourne AFLW list manager Rhys Harwood.

Harwood joined Nat Edwards, Lucy Watkin and Sarah Black to talk recruitment on the Credit to the Girls podcast. 

"It's improved a lot, particularly the disposal efficiency and just the general class of the [U18] nationals," Harwood said. 

"There was certainly a lot of top-end talent on display and the best talent tends to stand out, particularly over three games across five days." 

"At the moment we're starting to see the girls who have played pretty much the whole way through [since juniors] and you only have to look at some of the under-age players to see the result of that – there's some pretty freaky players coming through."

In this episode…  

Harwood also discusses the challenges of building a list from scratch, what recruiters look for in a player and the controversial conference system. Also a recruiter for North's AFL team, Harwood touches on the differences between the two systems. 

Episode guide 

1:41 – Sarah's wrap of the NAB AFLW under-18 championships 

2:15 – North Melbourne AFLW list manager Rhys Harwood joins the show 

4:14 – Rhys' take on potential North recruit Mia King 

5:44 – Players to watch in the upcoming draft

10:17 – The challenges and strategies involved in building a list from scratch

17:41 – What recruiters like Rhys look for in a player 

19:14 – The conference system: yea or nay?