The Carlton Football Club is delighted to welcome Lulu Beatty (pick No.5), Madeline Hendrie (No.9), Mariana Anthony (No.20) and Chloe Wrigley (No.28) to IKON Park in the 2023 AFLW Supplementary Draft.   

Beatty is an 18-year-old defender who 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. 

Hendrie is a key position tall who has featured for the Allies, the Sydney Swans Academy and most recently the Western Bulldogs’ VFLW team, the 19-year-old displays strong overhead marking ability, allowing her to shine in a number of positions. 

Just as capable of pushing forward as she is providing a supporting hand in the ruck, Hendrie’s versatility is her strong suit, as is her natural athleticism: she has a background in state athletics, including high jump and cross-country running. 

They’re two skills which the 180cm ruck uses to good effect, impressing for the Allies in the 2021 national carnival. She has demonstrated an ability to also play as a key defender, but her pace and leap makes her a natural understudy to All-Australian ruck, Brea Moody. 

A mature-age signing, Anthony will add to the Blues’ running capacity and add some experience to a youthful outfit, having honed her craft in the VFLW competition for the Bombers in recent seasons. 

A premiership player for Essendon in 2022 in the state-league competition, Anthony moved to North this season, impressing with her leadership from the outset in the opening two games of the season. 

Her tenacity at the contest was never more evident than just last weekend, where she recorded 20 disposals and 15 tackles against Williamstown. 

That was Saturday, but now come Tuesday night, she finds herself as a Carlton player, after a VFLW career which has spanned three seasons, 32 games and fuelled by a desire to reach the elite level of the competition. 

Before arriving at the Bombers, Anthony was an emerging soccer player, featuring across three seasons in the NPL Victoria with South Melbourne and Alamein: her passion and desire to improve has been a hallmark of her game in whichever game she has played. 

A standout of the WAFLW competition, Wrigley will get her chance at the elite level in the Navy Blue. 

A 50-game player for the Peel Thunder since her debut back in 2019, the inside midfielder was drafted by Carlton with pick No.28 in the 2023 AFLW Supplementary Draft. 

Wrigley arrives at the Blues in red-hot form, having starred with 23 disposals and 17 tackles in her most recent game with the Thunder just last weekend. 

It was another glittering performance in a WAFLW career full of them, saving her best moment for the biggest stage of all: Wrigley was named as the best player on the ground in the first of her back-to-back premierships with Peel in 2020. 

Intent on earning her chance in the AFLW competition, Wrigley is a no-nonsense, high-production midfielder, consistently getting first hands on the football and pushing from contest to contest with her running capacity. 

She is highly regarded for her attack on the ball as well as her direct opponent: when she isn’t winning the Sherrin herself, she does everything in her power to win it back for her team. 

Carlton Head of Football Brad Lloyd said all four players would bring exciting strengths to the Navy Blue. 

“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. 

“We’re really pleased to welcome Maddie: she’s someone who we think can come on in leaps and bounds in a high-performance environment.  

“She is a natural athlete who has shown that she can play in all three areas of the ground. She made the decision to relocate to Melbourne from Sydney for the betterment of her football and she’s really committed to getting the best out of herself.  

“Joining the duo of Brea Moody and Jess Good, we think Maddie will have some really strong mentors to work with when pre-season begins: we’re looking forward to them gaining some synergy and giving Maddie the best possible shot to have a long career in Navy Blue. 

“We’re thrilled to be able to give Marianna the opportunity at AFLW level: it’s something which she has been so committed towards for a number of years now. 

“Her commitment to her craft in the VFLW competition has really shone through in the last few years, and we were really keen to add her to the fold with her experience, character and tenacity both on and off the field. 

“She can play a number of roles whether it’s as an outside or inside midfielder as well as slotting in across half-back. She is someone who our recruiting team believed thoroughly deserves her chance, and we’re delighted that it’s going to be with our football club.” 

“Chloe is the kind of person who will thrive no matter what environment is in: she’s someone who gives her all in everything she does – we’ve seen exactly that with the Peel Thunder in the WAFL. 

“She brings experience but we definitely still think that, at 23 years of age, her best football is ahead of her – particularly stepping into our environment under new AFLW Senior Coach, Mathew Buck. 

“She’s worked incredibly hard for this chance, so we’re looking forward to welcoming Chloe over from the west and can’t wait to see what she can do at our football club.”