SWANS Academy member Ashleigh Barlow knows what it takes to chase her dream, and as the elite level is within reach, the defender has no intention of resting on her laurels despite a brilliant year. Barlow said while in an ideal scenario she would stay in the red and white next year, she had no qualms about relocating to play in the AFLW.

“It would be very nice to stay at the Swans, but obviously there are a lot of us doing really well and I am proud of all of us, we’ve worked so hard to get to where we are now,” Barlow said. “As much as I’d love to stay at Swans, if I do have to move interstate I’d see it as a new opportunity.

“I’ve been living in Wollongong my whole life and I think this experience life somewhere else and I want to continue this dream of mine in the AFLW and if that’s relocating, that’s what it’s going to be.”

Barlow enjoyed one of the more breakthrough seasons in this year’s draft crop, impressing from the early matches in the Under 22 Summer Series, through the Talent League Girls and then up to the Allies at the National Championships and back at UNSW-ES Bulldogs for the AFL Sydney Premier Division. Looking back on 2026, the New South Wales local described the year as “quite exciting”.

“As one of the older girls this year stepping up, I thought it was very exciting playing with some of the younger girls as well,” Barlow said. “Then also being able to play in the Allies squad as well, that was very nice to play with a variety of girls from all over Australia.

“It was quite an honour to make the All-Australian team at the end of the year too. “Very exciting, it was a little bit not shocking, but wasn’t really expecting it to best honest, but very grateful to be recognised.” 

Barlow’s football journey started like many in her state, in primary school playing in the Paul Kelly Cup. She was only Year 4 but stepped up to compete with the Year 5/6 team and her love from the sport grew from there.

“They needed some extra players so I got asked to step up and come play,” Barlow said. “At the time was playing a bit of netball and Oztag and I was quite sporty at school so they thought ‘she’ll be right’.

“So jumped in the team and made it through to the finals which were played at the SCG. “Actually kicked my first goal at the SCG, it was pretty cool and then after that mum and dad signed me up the following year for Figtree Kangaroos.”

Barlow’s favourite position is in defence where she has played the bulk of her year, though she also spent time both in the midfield and up forward.

“Mainly in juniors I was a midfielder and then when I moved up to a bit more rep stuff, moved into the forwardline actually,” Barlow said. “It wasn’t until Under 15s, it was the New South Wales team for school and I played in the backline, really enjoyed it.

“The following year when we were playing in the Swans Academy if I could start in the backline and then ever since then playing in the backline. I have played a little bit in the forwards this year, but mainly in the backline.”

Unsurprisingly a Swans supporter, Barlow hopes to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Tarni White and Tahlia Gillard who she looks up to and takes elements of their game to apply to her own. The fierce defender knows her strengths and improvements.

“My competitiveness (is my main strength), I don’t give up,” Barlow said. “My one-on-one efforts as well, I see ball, get ball. I won’t give up until the whistle’s blown.

“Definitely my ground balls (are an improvement), just trying to pick the ball up a bit more smoothly, I’m always trying to pat it forward to myself, and then also trying to recognise when to take the mark and get my body in the right position to do so.”

She credits her parents as having the most individual influence on her career, helping her attend training and matches and well as being a constant source of support.

“It’s not easy, I’m from Wollongong, training’s obviously in Sydney, I’m leaving school early each time to go to training and they’re always driving me to training and I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for my parents and the support and love that they’ve shown to me and the potential that they’ve also seen in me too,” she said.

Coming through the pathway, Barlow experienced the rise in quality moving from the AFL South Coast league to the AFL Sydney competition.

“The competitiveness and the strength amongst the girls definitely changes,” she said. “I started in AFL South Coast. “Our competition was strong there, but I wasn’t able to push myself as much, so recently moved to AFL Sydney to play there. “Those girls are definitely a lot stronger, a little bit more experienced as well. It has been a little bit harder, but I’ve also enjoyed it so much.”

Fast forward to the end of 2026, and the consistent Barlow earned a National Draft Combine invite, hardly able to contain her reaction when she found out, describing the moment as “very exciting”.

“I remember I got a phone call from Aimee Whelan from the Swans Academy and I was just in the car and I was like ‘no way!’ but that just showed that I’m on track and that it’s only up from here,” she said.

“It’s been really exciting just to learn a bit more about the other clubs (at the Combine). “They’re all very nice, they’ve all got their own little trademarks and culture about the club as well which is nice to learn about. I’m very excited for what’s next.”

Ticking off plenty of personal goals in 2026, Barlow said naturally the next one on the list was to be drafted, and for the preseason, the Swans Academy member was keen to make a statement to her her teammates should she end up on a list, wherever that may be.

“I just want to get amongst it, show them who I am. Let them get them to know who I am. Be really exciting when we have training as well so we get an understanding of how I play and how I train, and my morals and thoughts, those sort of things as well.”