A LATE bloomer to the code as well as admittedly getting more serious about her fitness over the off-season, athletic key forward Chloe Gaunt received a AFLW National Draft Combine invite. Bursting with potential as a 182cm utility who can roll into the ruck, the raw key showed glimpses of what she is capable of throughout the year with both the Brisbane Lions Academy and Queensland.
We sat down with Gaunt at the Draft Combine to talk about her football journey, inspirations and what she looks to improve on for the future.
Q: Chloe tell us a bit about your footy journey?
CG: “I started doing athletics when I was like 10 to 13 maybe. I got ninth in Australia for triple jump. Then I stopped that because it was so individual, kind of got bored of it, so I was like ‘give team sport a go’. I didn’t know what to play, but my brother played rugby league and I used to kick bombs up to him so I knew how to kick from that and I was pretty quick from my athletics, and I’m tall so dad was like ‘give AFL a go’ an d went from there really. Playing with Southport for two years and Coorparoo for three years, and then I’ve been in the Gold Coast and Lions Academies. Obviously made Queensland and now I’m here.”
Q: There’s only a couple Lions Academy at the Draft Combine, what’s it like getting that invite?
CG: “I did not expect to come here at all, at the start of the year. I felt like I didn’t even fit in at the Lions Academy. I think it was purely because of my work rate at the start of the year. I was a little bit slack with my fitness, and I went into preseason not as fit as I’d hoped, but I know now what I need to prepare myself for next time.”
Q: What was it that caused the penny to drop and for you to make that change?
CG: “We did a 2km time trial and I didn’t perform very well at all., I knew if I was going to play ruck this season, I needed to get a lot fitter if I wanted to get more of the footy.”
Q: Coming into Queensland with so many tall players, how do you go having to play multiple roles?
CG: “It opens up a great opportunity for me, being versatile. I’m happy to play anywhere just a good learning opportunity. I’ve never been taught how to play the ruck before, I just got stuck in there because I’m tall. Then forward, I’ve played there my whole life so I know a bit about that.”
Q: Coming through playing Talent League and getting that experience, how did you find it?
CG: “Yeah it was a really good opportunity. Obviously the coach was Zilks (Emma Zielke) which was really cool. Then there was a lot of support staff and everything around us helping us out. Especially for Queensland, had (Talent Manager) Mark Browning helping me with my marking one day, I would never have imagined that. I’ve learnt a lot over the last 12 months.”
Q: What do you see as some of the strengths in your game?
CG: “My speed I think for a tall I’m very quick, my contested overhead marking and I think I have a pretty long kick.”
Q: Then what are you looking to improve on?
CG: “Definitely my fitness. During the year playing in the ruck it was difficult running around the field doing that and then going back to the forwardline needing to have a break. I think if I was fitter, I’d be able to last longer in the ruck, and perform better, get to more contests.”
Q: Who do you compare yourself to at the top level?
CG: “I think people like Taylor Smith or Tahlia Hickie.”
Q: Lions supporter I presume?
CG: “Yeah.”
Q: Last year, just touching on the Lions winning the AFLW flag, what was that like for you seeing that?
CG: “Very exciting. I’ve only been watching AFL since I started playing so five years, so I’m not a mad fan since birth, but it’s very exciting.”
Q: You’ve said you’re happy to travel anywhere to play in the AFLW, but is Brisbane, as the club you’ve grown up supporting, you’d be obviously keen to play for?
CG: “Yeah obviously being able to wear the Lions uniform would make myself so proud because I’ve been supporting them for my whole football journey. It would be very cool, even Gold Coast Suns, I went from them to playing Lions and just putting on that Academy uniform made me so proud.”
