PRESEASON Draft hope Jaime Henry has picked up where she left off last year for Swan Districts, with the McSherry Medallist (club best and fairest) having a huge game in Round 1. She was borderline untackleable with the tall midfielder having somehow increased her physicality and strength to go with a far larger tank for the 2026 season.

Henry has knuckled down the past 12 months since missing out on being drafted at 18 as a member of the National Academy. She spent a season with Western Bulldogs VFLW and after heartbreakingly being left out of the grand final side after playing 13 games that season, returned home to Western Australia last year and had a massive season for Swan Districts.

One of the league best and fairest favourites this season, Henry still has her sights set on the top level, having shaved more than two minutes off her 2km time trial, and been working on her power and explosiveness from the contest. While the latter is still the main knock on her game, the left-footer is a natural footballer who started the season off with a bang and is our first Player Focus.

Swan DistrictsInside Midfielder, Tall Defender

Jaime Henry

Height: 176cm

Weight: -

DOB: 05-10-2005

STRENGTHS:

+ Physicality
+ Strength
+ Kicking
+ Contested work
+ Production
+ Clean hands
+ Endurance

IMPROVEMENTS:

– Explosiveness
– Opposite foot

SEASON AVERAGES:

2026 WAFLW League (1 game):
32.0 disposals | 5.0 marks (1.0 contested) | 12.0 tackles | 2.0 clearances | 8.0 inside 50s | 1.0 goals (1 total)

2025 WAFLW League (13 games):
24.3 disposals | 2.6 marks | 9.5 tackles | 3.3 inside 50s | 0.2 goals (3 total)

PLAYER FOCUS

2026 WAFLW League: Round 1
Swan Districts 7.9 (51) def. Claremont 1.4 (10)

#11 Jaime Henry
Stats: 32 disposals (21 kicks, 11 handballs), 5 marks (1 contested), 12 tackles, 8 inside 50s, 1 goal, 153 AFL Fantasy Points

FIRST QUARTER:

It was no surprise to see Henry starting at the centre bounce, with the Swan Districts midfielder around the contest whenever she was on the ground, only resting for around five minutes in the last three quarters. The opening term saw her bring her own ball to the game, consistently finding it, and though often under pressure – and sometimes getting her odd-kick smothered or disrupted, she proved a nightmare for any opponent.

At one point Henry flew for a mark, and while that came just off her hands, she immediately laid a tackle on an opponent and won a holding the ball free kick. Not long later, Henry was at the centre stoppage, grabbed the ball, fended off an opponent and dished off quickly to a teammate. Her goal also came early, with Henry saluting with the first of the match thanks to a mark and then 50m penalty sending her to within 35m where she duly delivered.

SECOND QUARTER:

Henry’s second term started with a strong tackle to force a turnover from an opponent, and within the first two minutes had already laid three tackles for the quarter. She mopped up behind the ball on the wing and with her penetrating left boot thumped it back into the attacking zone. While another tackle was deemed high alittle after, Henry showed she could also impact in transition, taking a mark in the corridor and then delivering a pinpoint 45-kick to a teammate.

Coming back from a rest midway through the second term she immediately laid a bone-crunching tackle at half-back and then did it again a couple of minutes later to win another holding the ball free kick and a second 50m penalty. While this time she was well outside her range and still in the middle, she did put it into a dangerous position at centre half forward.

Everything was coming up well with Henry as even when she hit the wrong side of her boot at half-forward and skied it high, Kayley King was in the perfect spot to mark and provide a teammate with a shot on goal.

THIRD QUARTER:

Claremont was clearly aware of Henry’s impact around hte centre stoppage, with Juliet Kelly tightly guarding her in the first few minutes. While not a full-on tag – as Kelly also rolled onto others throughout the quarter, she was focused on restricting Henry’s ball-winning rather than having too much offensive ball-winning herself. It took a little while for Henry to win her first touch but when she did it was a clean handball away off a marking contest and then forced an out on the full kick with a great run-down tackle.

While not noted for her speed, Henry’s sidestep after a clean kick got her out of trouble, and though the kick did get intercepted inside 50, it looked like a new trick in the kitbag. Henry laid a bone-crunching front-on tackle on ex-Sydney AFLW player Ruby Sargent-Wilson midway through the quarter then came off for a rest.

Upon her return, she got right back to it with her physicality and quite literally ripped a ball from an opponent’s hands on the wing and handballed to a free teammate. She took a strong contested mark on the wing in the last couple of minutes, then hit the short-45 kick again and ran to the next contest to be a target, but this time was spoiled by an opponent coming across. She finished off the quarter by standing up in a tackle still getting the ball free despite being bear-hugged.

FOURTH QUARTER:

Kicking off the final term of the game, Henry laid a big tackle at the opening centre bounce, then won her first touch of the last stanza about 30 seconds in when they thumped it off her left deep inside 50. Claremont was consistently set up well defensively, but the Swans were putting a lot of pressure on the reigning premiers deep in defence.

Even when not winning the ball, Henry’s off-ball work sets a standard, with repeat chases and pressure acts, and consistently looking to win the pill for her team, or dispossess the opposition. She continued to win the ball at will and showed she could not only be a first-possession winner, but a second or third as well, working hard to get into space and using her new found tank to full advantage.

Once again, Henry stood up in a tackle and handballed free despite the disbelief of an opponent clinging on for dear life. She finished off the game with a nice intercept mark on the wing, hit that reliable 45-kick, kept running to mark again thanks to some smart early bodywork, then kicked down the ground to a one-on-one.

SUMMARY

Henry is one of the more readymade players around the country when it comes to the AFLW Preseason Draft coming up next month. The Swan Districts midfielder was enormous in game one, and she just finds the ball all over the ground. Her increased endurance base allows her to get to more contests and as such, her repeat possessions and contest-to-contest work has shot up too.

The knock still remains on her explosiveness out of the stoppage, with Henry not having that speed to really break away cleanly. She has improved in that regard, and given the fact she cannot be brought down easily, buys herself more time by being able to dispose of the ball with an opponent hanging off her. She has a penetrating left boot, and while her right side can still further improve to get up with her left ability, Henry is a naturally smart footballer and has lost none of that nous to go with her improved athletic base.