WHILE still a bottom-ager among the elite footballing pathway, Western Jets’ Kiera Whiley has quite a bit of nous and knowledge. She started out playing in her local boy’s team in Under 9s and entered the Jets’ program when she was 13, so it is no surprise she continues to punch above her weight now, as a 16-year-old.

In 2021, Whiley was one of the few 2005-born players to experience Vic Metro Under 17 representation, and will look to repeat the feat this year having been named in the latest Metro Under 18 talent hub. With glowing reviews for coaches and players alike, Whiley has taken plenty out of her “amazing” rep experiences.

“It was amazing how much the drills flowed and everyone was so invested in football, which is a really, really good environment to be in,” Whiley said. “There were so many really talented girls and suddenly we had so many coaches for the number of girls we had, which was awesome.

“(Metro hub training) was a whole other level and you walk away from every drill just huffing and puffing, but it’s amazing and such a high level… all the girls were really, really nice and I think as a team we really bonded quickly which was amazing.”

With such high level coaching and playing personnel to feed off, including at the Jets, Whiley has been able to identify her “handy” strengths, and some potential areas for growth. Her footballing education has also allowed setting up goals for the next couple of campaigns even more streamlined.

Having cut her teeth in a range of roles thus far, Whiley has her sights on a more permanent shift into the engine room, while improving as much as she can with each passing game as her draft eligible year approaches in 2023.

“Hopefully (I can play) on-ball, that’s my big goal this year,” she said. “Hopefully I get to do that and have a bit more stability because last year I did get flipped around a little bit.

“I think I’m quite versatile. I’m pretty much happy to play anywhere I’m wanted, which comes in handy because so many different things can happen in a footy game. Even if it’s not necessarily part of your position.

“My main weakness is really just my left side, kicking on my left side is pretty much not happening but it’s a good one to fix… also just fitness. It’s always a major one because the more times you can make those big sprints to the ball, the more you get to touch it and make an impact on the game, which is what you want.

The 173cm utility started out her 2022 NAB League Girls season with 10 disposals, five tackles and a goal in Western’s 31-point loss to the Tasmania Devils in Round 2, but will hope to help get her side on the board this week as the Jets face Northern Knights on Saturday afternoon.