ONE OF the most talented prospects in this year’s draft, and certainly one of, if not the most outgoing one, Glenelg‘s Eloise Mackereth is a player who just loves everything about her football. The South Australian thrives in the forward 50 as well as she does in the social circles, and while she is composed and collected when lining up for goal, the top-ager sets high expectations on herself.

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In the past couple of seasons, Mackereth has earned two All-Australians – Under 16s and Under 18s – made her League debut and kicked a match-winning goal, and then made the National Academy for this year.

The teenager – who credits her dad as the main reason she got into footy – was part of the inaugural Plympton Bulldogs girls’ side and from there she went through the pathway and ended up at Glenelg. It was not long before her evident talent shone through and quickly made a name for herself. Club representation turned into state, and soon she was named among the best players in the country for her age not just the past two years via All-Australian nods, but with the National Academy invitation.

But what is it like for Mackereth meeting so many new people along the journey, particularly at the recent AFLW Academy camp.

“Oh my gosh, so good. I’ve made so many new friends,” Mackereth said. “I was going in there really nervous, I wasn’t sure what to expect really, so excited. “Then I got there and it was just so fun. “All the coaches are insane, it’s so professional, next level professional. “The way they have a program set out for each day what we’re doing, the food we eat is insane.

“We know when we have to go to bed, we know when we can have free time. It’s all very planned out. I just made so many new friends. “It’s insane, I know I’m going to be friends with them for ages. “Over this year we have a few more camps but I’m just so excited to see them again, I already miss all my friends that I made.”

Naming Queensland duo Georja Davies and Ava Usher, and Tasmanian Mischa Barwin as three of her closer friends from opposites ends of the east coast, Mackereth said she was equally in awe of playing alongside her South Australian counterparts inside 50 last year as a bottom-ager.

“At the start I wasn’t sure if I’d be playing or not but when it comes to state you really don’t know,” Mackereth said. “As a bottom-ager I was a bit nervous. I knew Under 16s I thought I played quite well and I thought I created a little bit of a name for myself and then going into 18s, they’re just all so talented and as an under-ager you don’t know. “But they all made you feel so comfortable, they taught you all these things.”

One of her mentors in the tri-colours was recently drafted Crow India Rasheed, while Mackereth can hardly believe she played in the national championships alongside of the likes of Jasmine Evans, Charlotte Riggs, Georgia McKee, Grace Martin and Lucy Boyd was drafted into the AFLW. Then of course there are her two Bays teammates in Poppy Scholz and Violet Patterson.

“Indi in the forwardline would teach me so many things at training and the coaches were amazing. It was just basically you became like a big group of sisters, it was so good,” Mackereth said. “Playing forwardline with them, they’re so talented and it’s so weird to think that some of them just got drafted and I’m like ‘oh my gosh, I literally played with them’. “I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s such a good feeling.”

Mackereth loves the culture at Glenelg, and credited the “support system” around the club, with her teammates and coaching staff adding to that environment, while her dad travels to “every single game” and training, while running individual sessions with the talented forward.

An Adelaide Crows fan at heart, Mackereth admits there are some exceptions, or additions to that.

“I am also a big fan of Carlton because I just love Carlton as a team,” Mackereth said. “But Crows mainly, then Carlton. “For the AFLW, I go for Crows but then I’m also a fan of Gold Coast Suns. Oh and Port.”

Her reason for supporting the other clubs and particularly the Suns is also more of an cultural one which sets her apart from many others.

“It’s genuinely just because I see them (Suns) as a team,” Mackereth said. “I feel like from an outsider as you view AFLW clubs, it really depends on how they promote them and the players as well. “How they work together and how they look like a family, I feel like that’s really important for what club you go for.”

Mackereth expects to transition from playing deeper forward at Glenelg, to a similar role to the one she did for the state side at high half-forward where she can get her hands on the ball more. It is almost a throwback to her Under 16s carnival where she played on the wing and “loved it”.

“I thought it was so fun on the wing because usually I’m down in forward which is where I’m comfortable with, it’s my main role,” she said. “But then when I played up on the wing, I felt like i could run a bit more. It was really good, a good experience to trial in something different to what I normally do. I loved it there just so I could get my hands on the ball a bit more.”

On her own game, the forward named overhead marking and goalkicking as her strengths, while her second efforts and running were areas of improvement. However Mackereth conceded there was “room for improvement” in every area.

“I feel like a goal is improving my areas for improvement, I need to work on them and I feel like just nailing them down while keeping my positives good,” she said. “Because I feel like that’s an important goal, because if I don’t work on them, then I only have my strengths. “You’re always going to have weaknesses but that’s a goal of mine.”

That focus, along with playing well for the National Academy and making the All-Australian team are just a few of the medium-term goals she hopes to accomplish throughout the year.

“I hope to play in all the games for the championships and make All-Australian again so I feel like that’s an expectation I set for myself,” Mackereth said. “Since I made it as a bottom-ager I know I’m capable, so I’d love to make it as a top-ager so that’s going to be one of my goals.

“And playing well in the AFLW games for the Academy, so I hope I do really well in that. “Obviously you have off games and everything, but I feel like if you do all the right things and set a goal for yourself you can achieve it. “Just my opinion, but I have high expectations for myself.”

As for the rolemodels she looks up to, Mackereth concedes they are not like-for-like, but show traits that have endeared the developing forward to them.

“This sounds a bit rogue because she obviously plays ruck and only a little bit of forward but Matilda Scholz (I model my game on),” Mackereth said. “But because she played for Glenelg I’ve seen her play from a young age and every time I watch her I’m like ‘oh my gosh’ so I try and play like her a little bit in terms of in the air. But she’s definitely a big influence on me.

“Not at the top level, but she did train with Collingwood, so Jess Bates. Just her work rate is insane and I look up to her a lot, and I try and train as good as her every training because obviously you want to be like the best.”

Never short of a goal celebration, Mackereth admits there are times where even she cannot believe the way she enjoyed putting one through the big sticks. While many prepare for their celebrations ahead of time, Mackereth said there was nothing planned about them.

“I don’t know, they just come to me,” she said. “I don’t plan them, and then they just come and I just see this photo on Instagram and I’m like ‘oh my goodness did I do that?’ and it’s just in the moment and you just so happy and you just do it, but oh my gosh it’s a bit embarrassing some times, but what can I say? You need to bring some energy.”

There is little doubt there will be plenty of celebrations again in 2025, but for the Glenelg prospect, there is one long-term goal on her mind she is squarely focused on achieving.

“I hope to get drafted, that’s my main goal,” Mackereth said. “I’m going to do everything in my power to get drafted because I feel like it’s been my dream since I was such a young girl. “I feel like now is the year to do it. “I really hope to get drafted.”

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