LULU Beatty was lost for words when Senior Coach Mathew Buck arrived at her house last night after she was drafted to the Carlton Football Club. 

Speaking to Carlton Media in her dining room, Beatty couldn't stay still when describing the feeling she had after being drafted to the Blues. 

“I just feel so elated,” Beatty said.

“I’m just so happy, it’s all my dreams come true. To end up at Carlton, I’ve worked with them and I love all the girls so I’m really excited to get started.” 

Having just returned home from Northern Knights training, Beatty spent the entire day avoiding thinking about the 2023 AFLW Supplementary Draft, only to get home and be selected within the first few minutes. 

The scenes at Knights training after she was selected was an indication of the goodwill surrounding Beatty's selection.

“I was trying not to think about [the draft] as much as possible,” she said.  

“I tried to keep busy, woke up early, went to the gym, then went to training with the girls and definitely got a bit more nervous there but it was good to distract myself.” 

Being selected from Carlton’s VFLW program, Beatty spent the pre-season at IKON Park, as well as training with the AFLW program last year. 

Playing in Round 1 with the VFLW Blues (13 disposals), Beatty is already familiar with the majority of the program – and the fact that she played her junior footy with the Darebin Falcons only makes that connection stronger. 

“The VFLW team is such a great group of girls and having a lot of fun and the connection between the AFL and VFL was great," she said.

“I knew some of the girls from train on so to be able to train with them, it makes the environment so much better. 

“I knew ‘Darce’ [Vescio] and Jess Dal Pos from Falcons, I worked with them on and off for the academy since I was 12 – with the Northern Knights too, it’s so connected: it was meant to be.”

Heading into an elite program for the first time, Beatty is excited to build her connection with her newest teammates and call the IKON Park facility home.

But most importantly, she’s excited to pull on the Navy Blue and play some quality football. 

“I just want to get to know the girls, really get to use the facilities properly and experience the whole environment of being at the top level,” she said. 

“I’m excited to get started and start playing.”