Ambitious, hard-working, and confident in her craft, Sara Howley has imposed herself against the best in the 2024 AFLW Draft.

The Geelong Falcon is one of many aspiring female prospects who have grown up watching the AFLW from its inception, an inspiring trail for players like Sara.

“The AFLW started around the same time that I started playing and that was probably the biggest inspiration for me,” Howley said.

“I've always wanted to get drafted and I’ve taken every opportunity as they come.”

“I think you can really get a sense of where the game's at just by watching. I like to base my game off Ella Roberts, the way she can hit the scoreboard as a midfielder who is fairly young in the competition.”

Howley was invited into the Falcons program as a 15-year-old, going up against girls three years older than her, a menacing challenge to face.

As a 15-year-old, that was pretty daunting. Walking in the doors with some of these 18-year-olds, quite a few of them that year got drafted, which was really cool to see as a young player, watching my teammates in that program go to the highest level.”

The early exposure at Under-18 level was the first of many opportunities for Sara, who was selected for the Under 16 Vic Country squad.

“I didn't really know what it was, to be honest. People were telling me this is like a massive deal,” Howley laughed.

“I went into it like any other game and tried my best and got to play with some of the best in the country.”

Howley began her journey in the Falcons program off half-back, loving the opportunity to see the field from a new perspective, before slowly transitioning into the midfield group that she has since made her own.

“I'd love to be an inside midfielder at the next level and whether that be next year or in a few years, that would be unreal.”

Howley truly announced herself in her bottom-age season in 2023, coming home with the Larke Medal, the Talent League’s Best and Fairest award, as well as the Falcons Best and Fairest award.

The girls program had a 14-month break after season 2022, with the Talent League aligning the boys and girls seasons for 2023, sparking the rapid improvement for Howley.

I think naturally I just came back a little bit stronger and that season I focused a lot on my endurance.”

It was an off-season that took Howley across international waters to gain the extra edge over competitors.

“I went to Singapore and did some humidity training. It was a general family holiday, but I brought the footy and had a kick the footy with Dad every place we went.”

“We went for runs pretty early in the morning to beat the heat. Even, when you get up at 7am in that heat, it's pretty hot, definitely one of my slowest times.”

“Then you come back to Geelong and it's a lot easier to run.”

That off-season built an endurance base that set the standard for Howley’s performances, creating chemistry with her teammates that made her a ball magnet in each game.

“I definitely was able to build my endurance, which I based my game off a lot last year.”

In season 2024, Howley put everything together, building her strength and ball-winning ability, and learning how to adapt to new challenges such as the tag.

“Having a pretty good 2023 season, it was probably expected a little bit to cop a few tags throughout the year, but I think there were definitely some games which I had to work through strategies of how to overcome it.”

“The Gold Coast game I copped a tag from the first centre bounce and got a fairly heavy corky that I had to miss a game after that as well, but I think I learned a lot from that experience, and it definitely made me a better player.”

Experiencing those lows earlier in the year allowed for her best footy to come at the most important points of the season, a feature Howley prides herself on.

“I tried to peak for those important games, such as the Academy game and National Championships.”

“When I look back at those, I think my best games throughout the season definitely came in those Vic Country games and it was something I was really proud of.”

Howley got a taste of the inner sanctum of an AFLW club through her time at the AFLW Academy, linking up with her childhood team, Geelong.

“I learned heaps. I did one day where it was more like the education recovery and it was great to see the depth and detail that they go into.”

“It was great to see how the players go about it and how they conduct themselves to get the best out of not only them individually, but as a group.”

The opportunity to make an impact at the next level is something Howley isn’t shying away from, with the top 10 prospect hoping to impress wherever she may land.

“I’m going to give 100% if I'm lucky enough to get to an AFLW club, and I want to earn the respect of my teammates at the end of the day and form good connections and hopefully set up a good season.”

The AFLW Draft takes place on Monday 16th December.