{"id":215669,"date":"2026-05-27T17:51:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T07:51:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/?p=215669"},"modified":"2026-05-27T17:51:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T07:51:32","slug":"2026-aflw-draft-qa-julia-faulkner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2026\/05\/27\/2026-aflw-draft-qa-julia-faulkner\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 AFLW Draft Q&A: Julia Faulkner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

FEW players in the 2026 AFLW draft crop do more with less than Julia Faulkner<\/a>. The Woodville-West Torrens forward-midfielder is one of the most underrated prospects in South Australia, bringing clean hands, smart decision-making and elite defensive pressure to everything she does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A product of the Eagles’ high-performance environment, Faulkner has taken enormous strides across the past 12 months and enters her top-age season with a clear picture of what her game needs to look like. To get an idea into one of the draft crop’s most fascinating thinkers, we spoke to Faulkner at the South Australian Preseason Testing event about her football journey, her development at Eagles, her role in the midfield and her goals for 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Julia, take us through your football journey, how did you get started?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

JF:<\/strong> “I actually started playing netball, but I was always a bit braver than the other girls and my dad would say, ‘maybe you should try footy’. I was like, ‘okay, I like footy, I’ll try it’. I played for a while and was pretty good at it. Then I took a year off – it was around Year 8 – and I focused on netball because I thought that was going to be my sport. I wasn’t playing very well at footy and it was making me think I’m not good at this, I don’t like it. So I quit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But then Eagles actually brought me back, which is why I’m always loyal to them – they’re my club. They invited me out and said, ‘We know you haven’t played, but do you want to just try one more time?’ And my dad said, ‘Just try, you’ll be fine’. I did it, and that year I also got into the Port Next Generation Academy and I’ve never looked back. I quit netball and I just remembered why I loved footy so much – the contest, all of that. I think that year off was actually the best thing I ever did because I realised I don’t have to play this, but I actually love it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Coming back to Eagles and then making the state team, what has that rise been like?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

JF:<\/strong> “Last year was my biggest year of development, 100 per cent, and I owe it all to Eagles. Just being around the older girls and having the resources, being told, ‘okay, this is what you have to do, you have to do gym, this is what high performance looks like’ – it was so helpful. I used every single resource I could, went to the gym three times a week and improved so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“When I played state for the first time in the Under 16s I got into the squad but didn’t play a game, and I think that showed. I didn’t know what a high-performance environment was, I didn’t know the expectations. Then in the Under 18s I’d done all this preseason, I’d learned what was required, and I played all three games. That was a representation of my growth, and it was because of Eagles \u2014 Narelle<\/em><\/strong> (Smith<\/em><\/strong>) specifically, and Annie<\/strong> (Falkenberg<\/strong>) our captain. They just showed me what it was like and I’m so grateful for that.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: You got some midfield minutes last season when others went out of the side such as Christina Leuzzi getting drafted and Poppy Waterford getting injured. What was that like?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

JF:<\/strong> “I loved it. Leah<\/strong> (Cutting<\/strong>) told you what to do but also gave you creative freedom, which I loved. I obviously needed a bit of guidance when I’m not playing a heap of midfield, but it was really nice because I just love contests and attacking the ball. One of my small weaknesses is that I don’t kick heaps of goals – I’m not a big goal scorer, and that’s one of my improvement areas for this year. But playing in the midfield allowed me to get it into the people who do kick more goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I was able to do defence as well as offence. I love getting in under, winning the ball and getting it out – I think that’s my strength more than kicking goals. So playing midfield was a great opportunity. I’m so sorry people got injured, but I was so thankful I got the chance.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Playing alongside Lucy Moore and other South Australian girls in that Eagles midfield, how much did that cohesion help?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

JF:<\/strong> “100 per cent. Playing with Lucy, who had a year in front of me, has been really good. She’s the same age as me but just knows a little bit more, is a little bit stronger, a little bit faster, so it helps me see where I can be if I keep working. “Because I’ve played with her since I was about 10, there’s just that understanding – I know what she’s going to do, she knows what I’m going to do. But I think at Eagles our connection in the midfield is really strong across the board. We know what each other’s going to do, we can support each other, and we’ve got leaders and ‘Cutters’ (Cutting) to set things up. They brought me into an already connected midfield and I was able to just maintain that, which was really good.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Julia Faulkner lays a tackle on Emma Charlton last season as Imogen Trengove looks on. Image credit: Nick Hook Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Q: What role are you hoping to play this year? Primarily midfield, or happy with a forward-mid rotation?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

JF:<\/strong> “I don’t mind a forward-mid rotation. I do love the midfield, but five minutes in the forwardline – I’m definitely not against that. I like forward stoppages, even though we have Klaudia O’Neill <\/strong>who can just take it out and kick. I also had Rosette Zerella<\/strong> mentoring me through the forwardline and she was a big help. I feel like now I understand what I do in the forward line, where I stand, so I’m a bit more advanced in that area. In the mid I still have a bit of learning to do at these higher levels, but I’ll definitely have a bit of both.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: What would you say your main strengths are?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

JF:<\/strong> “My hands – whether it’s ground balls or handballs, I think that came from netball. Being able to give it quickly and find the best option, I think that’s one of my biggest strengths. I can give it really quickly and that’s why I like getting in and under and then hitting the fast person on the outside. One thing I identified last year was my speed – I’m not super fast in those first few steps – so in the off-season I’ve been doing speed work the whole time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Goal kicking is another one. I want to get better at snaps in particular, because the situations I’ll get it won’t often be set shots. My kicking has gotten better generally and my drive out of the contest has improved. Aerial is not really part of my game as much – I prefer the ball on the ground. If the ball’s on the ground, that’s where I go to work. When it’s in the air I’m more focused on getting in front of the people who are going to take it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Do you track those obscure stats much such as goal assists, score involvements?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

JF:<\/strong> “No, not really. That’s kind of the frustrating thing, isn’t it? When you play well and feel involved, but it doesn’t always show up. At Eagles we don’t really focus on stats, which I think is right, but it’s hard when someone like my dad is watching and counting. He’s my biggest supporter, I love him to bits, but it’s difficult to not look at them. I do feel like I have score involvement, I hope I do – but it’s hard to show when you’re the person doing the work that doesn’t always end up in the goal column.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Do you watch a lot of football to study the game?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

JF:<\/strong> “I watch a lot of men’s – I should watch more women’s and I’m planning to this year. But I do love analysing footy. I think it’s the only way to get better, same as school – if you want to improve at a certain type of maths, you practice that type of maths. I’m lucky to be wired in a more logical way about it. I love players like Nathan Jones<\/strong> because all he did was work hard. He wasn’t the most skilled, he wasn’t tall, he just worked hard and was loyal to Melbourne. That’s the type of person I find inspirational \u2014 not necessarily the most gifted, but someone who put in the work for years and years and then saw the result.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Who’s a player you look up to right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

JF:<\/strong> “There are a few people on my team. I look up to Annie (Falkenberg) a lot because she’s the type of leader I find similar to myself – not the loudest, but always doing the right thing, locking down her player, doing her role. That really resonates with me. She plays in the backline so not exactly my position, but in terms of who I’m aiming to be like as a prospect, it’s probably someone like Imogen Trengove <\/strong>– because if I want to get drafted, I have to be at least as good as her. She got there really quickly, and that wasn’t just talent, it was hard work. The way she read the ball and knew where it was going to go – that was something I found really interesting and wanted to learn.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Which AFLW club do you support?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

JF:<\/strong> “Melbourne. My family went for Sturt their whole lives, but one of my dad’s friends moved to Melbourne and Dad started following them. It’s just me and him really, we always watch the games together. I love them – even through the ups and downs. I got to see the Grand Final which was special, so I can’t complain.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: What goals do you set for this year?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

JF:<\/strong> “The main one is consistency. I’ve had a year of learning and figuring everything out, and now I just want to back it up. To do that I’m making sure I’m at maximum intensity at trainings, eating right, sleeping right – because those things really can set you apart if you get them right. I’m also working on consistency within games, because I’ve had games where I’ve started really well and then dropped off in the last quarter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I can feel my fitness getting better, which is promising. Stats will come if I keep playing well – I’m not focused on that. But if I can just go out and have a full game together, week after week, that’s what I want. Consistency is the main thing. You can’t just play a great game and then a quiet one and expect to get noticed.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: I thought you were unlucky, but were you disappointed to miss out on the Under 17 Futures squad last year?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

JF:<\/strong> “I probably saw it coming a little bit. I think the WA (AFLW U18s) game was my only one that really made me stand out and I didn’t back it up well enough in the other SA games. I also know I’m not a flashy player – that’s just not my game style. I don’t go for long runs down the field. I’m the person at the bottom of the pack who gives it to the person who goes on the long run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I’m trying to work on taking those opportunities when they’re mine. But I could see why it happened – all the girls who got in are quite fast, which is also why I spent the whole off-season on that. A bit disappointed, but it’s not the end of the world. It’s just a motivating factor to go harder.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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