ATHLETIC key position utility Georgie Cleaver is taking it “day by day” and not looking too far ahead, but has aspirations of donning the blue and gold in the future. The West Coast Eagles fan projects as a top-end pick in this year’s AFL Women’s Draft having produced 18 months of strong football with the Sharks and Western Australia.

Still competing at a high-level netball level where she has also represented Western Australia, the ideal goal for the AFL Women’s Academy member would be to follow in Ash Brazill‘s lead. The Magpies dual sportsperson has played for the black and whites in both the AFL Women’s and Suncorp Super Netball, and Cleaver hopes to do the same.

For now though, Cleaver is just taking it one week at a time and looks to her former West Australian teammates who have risen up through the ranks to reach the elite level.

“It shows that you can get there, it’s possible,” Cleaver said. “You’ve just got to put in the effort, take it day-by-day, not think too far ahead.”

Cleaver’s football journey started like many as an Auskicker at six years old, but the talented sportsperson also took up netball and basketball, which at the time had the more straightforward pathways.

“My brother started playing footy and Dad just encouraged me to join as well,” Cleaver said. “Played with the boys up until about Year 5. Then didn’t have a girls team so stopped for a bit. Started netball and basketball and then got back into it a year later and then just played at Rossmoyne footy club and went to East Fremantle Sharks four years ago.”

Cleaver’s brother Jack was a potential AFL Draft prospect in last year’s draft, but was unfortunately overlooked after a solid Under 18s championships where he averaged 18.5 disposals, 4.5 marks and 3.8 rebound 50s. A completely different player to Georgie, Jack honed his craft as a defender, while his younger sister is a forward/ruck.

That has not stopped Cleaver’s older brother from having a profound impact on her career growing up. The 18-year-old Jack went to Essendon VFL this year and earned a place in the Young Guns squad, playing against Vic Metro last weekend and is set to take on Vic Country this weekend. Though across the other side of the country, Georgie said the pair of siblings are still close.

“He’s out at Essendon VFL, so been missing him a lot,” Cleaver said. “We normally used to do heaps of stuff together, kick the footy, missing him a lot. We ring each other most days, talk about what happened and how footy’s going which is good.”

On her own game, Cleaver prefers playing as a high half-forward who can be a marking target, then push up into the midfield where she has the height to compete in the ruck, while the athleticism to be an extra midfielder.

The East Fremantle prospect rates her greatest strength as her marking and ability to get to contests and win ground level balls. Her kicking and skill execution is the main deficiency in her game she is addressing.

Last season the Sharks went through the regular year undefeated, all the way until the grand final. Unfortunately, they fell in the decider, but Cleaver was lucky enough to win a flag, instead dropping down to Rogers Cup where she picked up a premiership medallion. Her performances earned her a second year in the AFLW Academy after being a bottom-ager in 2022. What she learned from her experiences was that the “season doesn’t stop” and it is a case of grinding it out.

“You’ve got to keep on pushing, get through all the games, win that grand final and we didn’t come through at the end obviously, but that’s okay,” Cleaver said. “Then from Academy, just put hard work into every session, 100 per cent effort and learn from all the girls around you because they’ve got great ideas.”

In 2023, Cleaver has some simple goals she has set for herself as she hopes to reach the elite level.

“Definitely just play some consistent footy both in the Academy, down at the Sharks and State as well and then hopefully get drafted,” she said.