BARRACKED FOR US AS A KID.
Wait, she still is a kid.
by Michael Alvaro
ST KILDA draftee Mattaes Phillipou turned heads last year with his ambitious and vocal goal-setting, but he may be about to meet his match in that sense. Lucia Painter, a leading prospect for the 2024 AFLW Draft is making her intentions clear a year out from her top-age campaign.
The 17-year-old has already set a high standard; taking out the Bendigo Pioneers’ best and fairest, being named in the NAB League Team of the Year, and becoming the Vic Country Under 16 MVP all in her 16th year. She says she’s pushing to reach even greater heights in 2023 and beyond.
“I’ve set the bar, now I have to raise it,” she said. “But I’m willing to do that, I’ve got to push and push.
“The goal is to go number one, but obviously it depends on what teams need at the time. If not, top 10. My aim is to be the player every team wants, no matter what they’re looking for.
“(In 2023) I’ll go for league best and fairest. I got the Pioneers one last year, obviously I’ll aim for that again this year too… I just want to improve this year and then next year will be the same.”
Painter (left) alongside Ash Centra in Vic Country colours | Image Credit: Rookie Me Central
Painter’s accolades somewhat account for her grand designs. She has been highly touted from a young age and one of the main reasons behind that is her ability to play in a variety of roles. That kind of versatility is something she says will aid her quest to be the best.
“I’m working on being an allrounder,” she said. “Being trusted to be put in a position and actually work in it.
“At the moment I’ve been put as a midfielder rotating back. It’ll be interesting. For the first couple of games I’ll be set as rotating back for a rest, but it depends how the other team is – it might be a bit more work than that.”
Laying claim to an array of excellent footballing traits, to go with her elite mentality, Painter listed her kicking as a primary strength. On the flip-side, she’s looking to clean up her work at ground level and make her running patterns more shrewd.
An Essendon fan, she watches plenty of men’s footy and takes note of where players at the top level run and position themselves in each third of the ground. Though, there’s no one player she moulds her game on.
There’s a long way to go yet, but Painter has also mapped out her draft plan. She says she may take “some convincing” to move interstate but is open to “anything” once she establishes herself at the top level with a Victorian club.
Painter and her Pioneers will begin their 2023 Coates Talent League campaign on Sunday March 19 against the Murray Bushrangers, at Rumbalara Recreation Reserve.
