TALENTED utility Kiara Boyd has spent time across each third of the ground, and is looking to consolidate herself as a player in 2026. The Western Jets and Vic Metro top-ager looms as one to watch throughout the year and has a number of exciting traits that will keep plenty of clubs keen in this year’s AFLW Draft.
We spoke to Boyd at the Talent League Girls Preseason Testing Day.
Q: Kiara, can tell us a little bit about your footy journey?
KB: “I started footy back in under nines with Burnside Heights. I played with the boys up until under 11s and then I moved to Aberfeldie to play with the girls. Unfortunately, I moved during lockdown and COVID, so I didn’t get to play a couple of years with them. Then I played Interleague, bottom-age and then top-age, which was a good experience. Then I got an invite to the Futures game with Jets, played both years of Under 16s, and then got an opportunity as well at Jets to play double bottom-age. From that it’s just carried on. I’m trying to give every opportunity I get 100%.”
Q: Growing up you also played high-level netball, what was that like?
KB: “Yeah, always loved sport, can never sit still. So it’s always good to have something else on as well. I still play netball currently with Western Warriors.”
Q: How is it juggling both sports at once?
KB: “Sometimes it can be hard with commitments on the same day, same times. But I think I’ve got a good community around me and they all recognise that and support me and realise how much I’ve got going on, so they are very open with it all. I think I just do what I can each day, take it day by day, and whatever I can do, I can do. You can’t really change that.”
Q: Talk us through your Jets debut a couple of years back when you kicked the match-winner amongst three last quarter goals in horrible conditions.
KB: “I’d never played forward before either, so I was a bit nervous going into that game. But I knew that I could only control the controllables and whether I was going to have a good game or a bad game, I knew I just had to give it everything I had. I wasn’t feeling the best throughout the game, wasn’t feeling like I played my best, it was a little bit in my head. But that last quarter I was just thinking, ‘this is where I’ve got to show myself, this is what people are going to remember’. So I just put my head down and got to work.”
Q: You’ve obviously gone from forward to midfield and played a bit of back as well. Where’s your preferred spot at the moment?
KB: “Probably inside mid is my preferred spot. This year I’m going through inside mid and a key defender role. But definitely inside mid and key back would be my favourites.”
Q: Did you play midfielder at local level? Because you started playing that a bit more at Jets last year, but did you do that locally too?
KB: “Yeah, locally I was always an inside mid, but at Abbers we had this thing where every game we’d play every position. It kind of got you to understand each role a bit better, which I think definitely helped me throughout these years.”
Q: Second year in the Vic Metro hub. What’s that been like for you?
KB: “Definitely bottom-age I was a bit nervous, but it was a great opportunity. I think all you can do is give everything a go. I have this motto — you’d rather regret doing something than not doing it. So obviously never going to regret that opportunity or anything along those lines. It was a bit nerve-wracking, but you can only do what you can do at that level. It was good to see the intensity, the level of the girls, and really just try to push myself to be at that standard.”
Q: Who’s had the most individual influence on your career?
KB: “Probably my mum. Even though she hasn’t been at a similar level or anything like that, she’s definitely taught me that you’ve got to work hard no matter what it is — even if you like it, even if you don’t. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. And I think that’s really carried on into who I am as a person and what I value. I’ve just tried to replicate her values and taken that along with me.”
Q: In terms of your game, what do you see as some of your strengths?
KB: “Definitely my tackle pressure, my speed and my aerial ability. I definitely see those as a few of my strengths.”
Q: What are you looking to improve on at the moment?
KB: “Definitely my flat, hard 45-degree kicks, my longer endurance running, and my groundball work under pressure and at high speed. Definitely the three main ones.””
Q: Which AFLW club do you support?
KB: “I go for North Melbourne. Both – men’s and women’s – so it’s not like I just jumped on the (AFLW) bandwagon.”
Q: Was that family related or what was the reason behind it?
KB: “My dad always used to make a joke that I’d get kicked out of the house if I didn’t go for North Melbourne. But I love them, they’re a good community. Not too good at the boys at the moment, but they’ll have their shot one day.”
Q: What’s it like having a club that’s really struggling in one and then really good in the other?
KB: “Well, you get your banter from your friends when you tell them who you go for. But the girls are showing them how it’s done, so it’s always good in that aspect.”
Q: Who’s a player you look up to at the top level?
KB: “Definitely Jasmine Garner and Jasmine Ferguson. They’re just hard, they always want to be the best, and they just put their head down and work. So I want to replicate that.”
Q: Finally, what goals do you set for yourself this year?
KB: “Definitely just to be the best version of myself I can be, give every opportunity I’m given in any aspect of my life a go, and definitely try to make it as far as I can with my footy.”
