EAST Perth winger Elly Sara has rich family ties to the Royals, with her father Joe playing 70 League games and designing the club’s Indigenous jumper. Forging her own pathway in the blue and black, Sara has become a key player for the club, winning the side’s best and fairest award in 2025.

We spoke to the 19-year-old at the West Australian Preseason Testing Day about her footy journey, game, inspirations and goals for the year ahead.

Q: Elly, how did you get into footy and what was the pathway you took to get to where you are now?

ES: “I started in Year 7 and then went through the Metro competition, and then did my first year at Rogers in Claremont. Then moved over to East Perth because Dad played for East Perth, so we had that father-daughter connection, which is really good. And then played my first game for the club two years ago, but that’s pretty much how I started.”

Q: Last year you had a pretty good season – what was that like developing with the team, and with East Perth becoming a bit more known within the comp?

ES: “Yeah, really good. It was very daunting. I’ve got to be honest, it was very scary. I think I put a lot of pressure on myself, but just kind of outgrowing those mental challenges was a main goal of mine last year, and having the confidence to get better was a lot to work through.”

Q: What’s your favourite position?

ES: “Love the wing. I was pretty bound to it last year, but I do want to have a go in the inside mid and hopefully get a couple of games there.”

Q: Have you played anywhere other than that prior to this?

ES: “Not really, pretty much just the wing, sometimes in the back line, half-back.”

Q: Is there a particular reason you mostly play there — is it just the running?

ES: “Yeah, pretty much running. I think finding the space is probably the key element to my game.”

Q: What do you see as some of your strengths?

ES: “Probably finding that space, run and carry.”

Q: What are you looking to improve on at the moment?

ES: “Definitely just getting the ball – see ball, get ball pretty much. But contest work will be a really important thing for this year.”

Q: who’s had the most individual influence on your career?

ES: “My dad for sure. Him playing at East Perth and me wearing his number is very special to me. I think even just having it on my back is a nice reminder, especially for the last couple of years. He’s definitely taught me everything I know.”

Q: Which AFLW club you support?

ES: “Freo.”

Q: Who’s a player you look up to or model your game on?

ES: Definitely Jess Verbrugge. She went to Essendon last year. She’s a great role model, great leader, and she’s great on the wing as well, which helps.”

Q: What goals do you set for yourself this year?

ES: “My main goal is just getting in the right headspace and having a lot of confidence in myself. I think I struggled with that last year, but I think this year is going to be a good year.”

Q: What did you take out of last year that helped you get more confident going forward?

ES: “At East Perth, our main words were “next play” — so if you drop the mark, just completely disregard that and follow up on the next play. Having that mentality was a big thing.”

Q: From an East Perth perspective, what goals have you set as a team this year?

ES: “Just the attacking aspect – going for goals straight away. I think we are a lot stronger this year, we do have a lot of stronger players. But just not being afraid of it, getting into the contest and getting the ball out is definitely a main thing for this year.”