AFLW Academy ruck Lilly Baker is one of the most developable talls in this year’s AFLW Draft. Though by her own admissions she has not spent as much time in the code as her peers, she is rapidly improving, having played predominantly through the ruck, but will hone her craft in defence this year. We spoke to the talented top-ager at the Queensland Preseason Testing Day.

Q: Lilly, tell us about your footy journey?

LB: “I mostly played cricket and hockey when I was growing up and then in Grade 8 during Covid I started playing AFL because a teacher from school told us to go down to the local club and play at Noosa. I played at Noosa for three seasons and then moved to Maroochydore last year to play in the QAFL.”

Q: Did you play equally high levels cricket and hockey?

LB: “I played in the Queensland Under 12s cricket team for school sport and I just played Sunshine Coast for hockey.”

Q: What made you choose footy over those sports?

LB: “I liked the contact and tackling people and the amount of skill that you can do. Cricket you can just bat or you’re a bowler or fielder. This you can do everything.”

Q: What role or position do you see yourself in, are you the most comfortable in the ruck?

LB: “Yeah but this year I’m going to play centre half-back and try that for the Lions Academy.”

Q: You’ve been apart of both the Lions and AFLW Academy, what learnings do you take from those programs?

LB: “You always have to put your best foot forward and prepare yourself for trainings and games.”

Q: Did you feel a step up in the level between the two?

LB: “Yeah there was a big step up in the national academy. Everyone has played for so many years, and they’re all from Melbourne, South Australia and all grown up with AFL, where I haven’t really. AFL was never really talked about when I was growing up.”

Q: Do you have any mentors helped you along your journey?

LB: “Probably Scotty (Borlace) at the Lions Academy. He’s helped me a lot with my ruck work and my overhead marking. He’s been really, really good and now helping me in the backline.”

Q: Which players at the Lions do you look up to?

LB: “I look up to Nat Grider. Even though she’s not as tall, she’s very competitive and always wants to get in there and she plays pretty well.”

Q: What do you see as some of your strengths and also areas o improvements?

LB: “I’m pretty competitive and I like hard work. I like to run as well, that’s why I like playing in the ruck because you can run all day. I need to work on my short kicking and my overhead marking, my contested marking.”

Q: You’ve got a lot of talented players in the Academies, who you looking forward to playing with?

LB: “Probably Faz (Farrandai) Hopkins from the Lions Academy. I went overseas with her to play Gaelic Football at the start of this year so it will be good to play with her. And Lilu (Hung) she’s a good leader on the field, so can learn off her a lot with my leadership.”

Q: How’d you get the opportunity to play Gaelic overseas?

LB: “Zilks (Emma Zielke) was the coach and she sent it out to all the Lions Academy girls and I thought ‘I’ll play a bit of Gaelic football’ and it just happened that Faz came and my friend from school came as well, and a few girls from the Under 16s came as well. Girls came from all over Australia. Lots of girls were from Giants Academy too.”

Q: Is there anyone else you’d like to shout out?

LB: “I think Zilks is a good coach and always pushes us hard, and Nat (Grider) always pushes us hard in the conditioning.”