Sutton to Saints

by Nicholas Duck
Warragul Industrials will have another player heading to the big time after Chelsea Sutton was taken at pick 31 by St Kilda in last week's AFLW Draft.
A midfielder/forward from Glengarry, Sutton has been aligned with the Dusties since 2024 and will be now showing her talents to the Saints.
"It's still soaking in, to be honest. It was a big night, but I'm so grateful and over the moon," Sutton said.

"I had an idea I might (be taken), but to be honest on draft night anything can happen so I wasn't going in thinking I was or if I wasn't. I was just going in with an open mind, hoping my name would get called out."
It was an emotional night for Sutton, surrounded by friends and family as they watched the draft unfold from the local football club where she helps coach.
"At the start I didn't even remember what pick I went, I just remember everyone screaming, I started crying - obviously, happy tears. I was so stoked and so emotional, I couldn't stop crying," she said.

Sutton has been a keen footy fan since childhood and a player since age 10, where she played against under 10 boys with Glengarry Junior Football Club.
She later took her talents to Traralgon in the Female Football Gippsland competition and stood out enough to earn selection at Gippsland Power.
There she met coach Scott Armour, who also acts as senior coach of the Dusties' women's side, and soon Sutton found herself making the move west to the Dusties.
"I loved all the girls, it was very welcoming and a really nice group," Sutton said of the Dusties.

"They're a really supportive club and they've always been there for me."
The Dusties to Saints pipeline is now very real as Sutton follows in the footsteps of men's player Alixzander Tauru, who was taken by St Kilda at pick 10 in last year's AFL National Draft.

Sutton plays primarily through the midfield and a high half forward role, using her speed and endurance to impact, allowing her to put on plenty of pressure.
She said she tried to emulate the forward craft of AFLW star Tayla Harris, as well as the midfield work of Maddy Prespakis and Monique Conti.

She also takes plenty of inspiration from her fellow Gippslanders Ash Centra and Amber Schutte, who were drafted to Collingwood in 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Now she's focusing on making a big impact at her new club and said she was looking forward to learning tips and tricks from professional female athletes.
"They've picked me for a reason. (My focus is) showing why I'm there, what I can bring to the team," she said.
"Their team looked really exciting and I can't wait to be a part of it."