IN JUST a few rounds, East Fremantle top-ager Cienna Leslie.has already shown she is more than capable of playing in a number of roles. The Sharks’ AFLW Draft hope has operated across all three lines, and three rounds into 2026, the versatility that once looked like a question mark is beginning to look like a genuine calling card.

>> AFLW DRAFT Q&A: Cienna Leslie (East Fremantle)

We took a look into Leslie, her game and why she is our first One to Watch for players outside the National Academy and bottom-age state representation.

Cienna Leslie

Club: East Fremantle
Height: 163cm
Date of Birth: 27/02/2008

STRENGTHS:

+ Two-way running
+ Competitiveness
+ Strength
+ Footy IQ
+ Versatility
+ Upside

IMPROVEMENTS:

– Overhead marking
– Polish

She made her League debut in 2025 and showed enough during those seven games to earn a spot in the West Australian Under 18s Summer Squad. The Sharks have handed her a demanding role – remaining accountable to dangerous opponents out of defence, while carrying the licence to push forward – essentially the mantle left by Maya Louvel-Finn, who was one of East Fremantle’s most important players last season.

SEASON SO FAR

Statistics: 15.3 disposals, 2.7 marks, 3.0 tackles, 1.7 inside 50s, 1 goal (3 games)
2026 vs 2025: +5.4 disposals, + 1.1 marks, – 0.1 tackles, + 1.6 inside 50s (-4 games)

In Round 2 against Peel Thunder, Leslie was quiet early as she focused more on her nullifying role, before coming alive from the second term to win critical contests and take some strong marks in a genuine one-on-one defensive assignment. While not being a massive accumulator in the past, Leslie showed she is much more than just a shutdown player, which is important coming into her draft year.

Round 3 against Swan Districts gave a fuller picture of what she can offer. Deployed forward, her kicking was a weapon from the opening minutes — finding dangerous spots inside 50 with precision and applying smart pressure on the wing to create opportunities for teammates.

Her standout moment came in the first term, calmly converting a drop punt from the tightest of pocket angles after being whacked late. It was a finish that requires both cool-headedness and genuine forward craft when she opted for the drop punt over the in-vogue checkside snap.

A second-term free kick on the wing, thumped to a dangerous lead that resulted directly in a goal, showed her awareness of how to connect play under pressure. She shifted on-ball in the third term to win possession off the deck from half-back, and dropped back into defence in the final quarter to use her athleticism to try and stem the momentum that Swan Districts was building. Collecting 16 disposals, three tackles, and a goal in a losing side told its own story.

DRAFT DISCUSSION

What makes Leslie interesting as a draft prospect is the quality she described herself when asked about her game, the ability to make the second option, run off the ball, and keep play moving at speed. She operates in the in-between spaces, not always the first possession winner but frequently the player who appears at exactly the right moment when a teammate needs releasing.

Her kicking when not under pressure can be clean and well-directed, while further polish to making the same connection when in the heat of battle is a way to further develop that technical aspect. She has the football instincts to make her touches count when she does win it, because even if her disposal is not precise, it is usually memorable as it either delays the danger or finds its way to an advantageous place for her teammates.

Endurance and overhead marking are the areas she has flagged as her own development priorities, and you can see the aerial side building at senior level. Both will sharpen with more consistent senior exposure, but Leslie’s endurance when compared to a lot of her peers is very good, having clocked a high yo-yo test score in the preseason.

SUMMARY

Leslie has a full WAFLW season ahead alongside her State Under 18 commitments, and both competitions will be important to build her CV not too dissimilar to Louvel-Finn last season. The combination of versatility, smarts, and two-way running makes her one of the more genuinely watchable prospects in the Western Australian crop. Watch this space.