Club/Recruited from: Carlton VFLW/Northern Knights
Position: Defender
Height: 171cm
DOB: 6 April 2004
THE CARLTON Football Club has selected Lulu Beatty with pick No.5 in the 2023 AFLW Supplementary Draft.
The 18-year-old defender currently plays for the VFLW Blues, having previously plied her trade at the Darebin Falcons.
Representing the Northern Knights - where she was named co-captain for 2023 - in the talent league and Vic Metro in the national carnival, Beatty is highly regarded for her work rate and football IQ.
Overcoming an injury in the pre-season of 2022, Beatty had to put in the hard yards to make it back for Round 5 with the Knights last year and was subsequently invited to the AFLW Draft Combine after some impactful performances in the competition.
She ended the season averaging over 16 disposals and four tackles per game, before performing strongly at the combine: recording a personal-best time in the two-kilometre time trial, Beatty’s determination and desire to improve was evident.
Her plaudits throughout 2022 were clearly rated at IKON Park, with Beatty signed to represent Carlton in the VFLW competition this season after being narrowly overlooked in the 2022 AFLW Draft. She impressed in her Carlton VFLW debut in Round 1, before backing it up with a 22-disposal showing for the Knights in their 2023 opener just last week.
Carlton Head of Football Brad Lloyd was pleased with the selection of Beatty, noting her ball skills and her courage around the contest stood out to the recruiting team.
“Our recruiting team have loved what Lulu has brought to the table: she has an appetite to improve, she wants to be the best she can be and she’s a smart footballer,” Lloyd said.
“She can play at both ends of the ground which is really important in the modern game, and the way she came back from injury last year was a further example of her professionalism at still a young age.
“She’s known to the program and the Club having made her debut for our VFLW side in Round 1 this year, which only consolidated our decision: we saw throughout pre-season that she’s a really good culture fit at the Club.”
