A promising basketball career has led North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroo Tayla Roberts to delay her foray into the AFLW competition. 

Picked up in the expansion singing period, the cross-code rookie was earmarked for a ruck role due to her athletic attributes and height (192cm).  

“Tayla has a great opportunity in front of her to take her basketball to the next level and we understand it was a tough decision for her to make,” North head of football operations Laura Kane said.

After a breakout season with the Dandenong Rangers in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL), the initial plan to juggle both sports proved too difficult. 

“We were well aware of the situation when we signed Tayla but unfortunately it came to a point where she had to pick between the two,” Kane added. 

“We will now work with the AFL to see what can be done to find a replacement on our list.”