A RELATIVE latecomer to the Australian rules football code, Evie Bowie has certainly made up for lost time, drawing plenty of pundits over the last couple of seasons. Capable of rolling inside or outside the contest, the talented athlete is a name to remember out of the Sydney Swans Academy and New South Wales for 2026.

We spoke to Bowie at the recent Sydney Swans Academy Preseason Testing Day about her football journey, other sports growing up, inspirations and goals for the year ahead.

Q: Evie, tell us a little bit about your footy journey?

EB: “I started playing AFL pretty late. I think I was in Year 7 in my first year, so 14 when I first started playing. My brother always played when he was younger so thought I’d give it a try and just got into junior footy from there. I think it was in my first year and one of my coaches pulled me aside and was like ‘there’s a Sydney Swans Academy and they’re having tryouts soon, you should go tryout’. So just worked up the bravery to go, and I went and it was really fun, I really enjoyed it.

“Continued with Maroubra and the Swans Academy really stepping up my footy to the next level, and then after that I started training with the Premier Division in Sydney Uni and that just took me again higher and it just helped me focus more on footy and get different scenarios in footy, not always being around the most elite girls in the Swans and make me to adjust to different situations. I think all of what I’ve done in my footy career so far has really helped me to where I am today.”

Q: Did you play a lot of other sports growing up?

EB: “I did a lot of sprinting, track and field, and then I moved to beach sprinting and then I’ve always played Oztag. Just finished playing Oztag last year out of juniors, so now prime focus is just footy at this point.”

Q: Do you watch a lot of footy?

EB: “Yeah whenever it’s in season, it’s always on the TV at home, and try and get down to as many games at the SCG, or for the women’s at North Sydney or Henson so it’s really good to get down there.”

Q: You’re a Swans supporter I assume?

EB: “Yeah absolutely.”

Q: Are there any players you look up to or model your game on?

EB: “Definitely Zippy Fish and Laura Gardiner. They’re both insane players from the Swans, but then also Mon Conti all of those girls, they’re just really insane and I’d love to do half of what they’ve done so far to be honest.”

Q: What’s your favourite position or where will you play?

EB: “Midfielder/wing, love it.”

Q: What do you see as your strengths and improvements?

EB: “Probably my speed and ability to get out of stoppages just with my speed exploding out, and then my run and carry. Then what I want to work on is my defensive pressure and maybe even contest work up on the mark and even groundballs. Mainly the defending part of my game.”

Q: How’s your preseason been?

EB: “Yeah really good so far. They’ve hammered in the running to us, so feeling pretty fit right now, but my skills have been good so far, but I just can’t wait to get into season playing games and taking my game to the next level again.”

Q: What goals do you hope to achieve this year?

EB: “Hopefully big goal is to get drafted, but other than that, probably just play footy to the best of my ability and get as far as I can with anything. Getting into the majority of the teams that Swans select this year would be a massive goal of mine, and then yeah just hopefully push myself and hopefully get that end spot of being drafted, but we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Q: Have you had any mentors along the way?

EB: “Definitely all my Swans coaches in Tanya Hetherington and Lachie Hunter. They’ve both been insane with me. My juniors coach Pep (Moles), she’s been amazing to me, and obviously now with Sydney Uni (coach, John Dyster, he’s helped me push to the next level and helped me play at Prems, so all of those people have been insane for my footy career.”