Rowbottom drives Suns to AFLW win in wet

A battle between AFLW No.1 draft picks Charlie Rowbottom and Montana Ham helped brighten an otherwise bleak afternoon at Henson Park.

And it was the Suns’ 2021 No.1 pick Rowbottom’s performance from the centre that propelled her side to a 7.7 (49) to 2.3 (15) win over the Swans in gloomy weather.

Rowbottom had a game-high 22 disposals.

“Charlie’s had a great year,” Suns coach Cameron Joyce said.

“She’s only really been here (at the Suns) for 12 months but with her work rate and just wanting to get better … they are clearly some things that have risen her game to another level.”

Ham, the 2022 No.1 pick, stood up against Rowbottom with a team-high 15 touches, leaving the two rivals best afield.

“Let’s be clear here, Montana Ham will be a fantastic player,” said Joyce.

“You could arguably say that she is now.”

Swans coach Scott Gowans said their challenge now was not to rely too much on Ham’s brilliance.

“We need to be mindful of falling into the trap of watching the scoreboard and saying, ‘oh, we need Mon here’,” Gowans said.

“Just leave her in the middle, don’t rotate her, give her gains.”

Asked whether playing on Ham worried her, Rowbottom said it hadn’t crossed her mind.

“She’s an exciting talent but it was just about winning,” Rowbottom told AAP.

“And we got the job done.”

The Suns, with four wins to their credit, are now the closest they have ever been to making the finals.

They sit in ninth position only by percentage and a loss by the Bulldogs this round could bring the Suns into top eight.

Gold Coast face a difficult challenge next week against flag favourites Melbourne but Rowbottom said the Suns were already looking forward to the contest.

“Playing against strong sides brings the best out of us,” said Rowbottom.

“It’s serious from round one. Being in the top eight will be huge for us as a club.”