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Jesse Wardlaw
Jesse Wardlaw
	Wardlaw warming up before the 2022 season 7 Grand Final
Personal information
Full name	Jesse Tawhiao-Wardlaw
Date of birth	13 January 2000 (age 24)
Place of birth	Ashburton, New Zealand
Original team(s)	Coorparoo (QWAFL)
Draft	No. 61, 2018 AFL Women's draft
Debut	Round 1, 2019, Brisbane vs. Greater Western Sydney, at Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex
Height	185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	56
Position(s)	Forward/Ruck
Club information
Current club	St Kilda
Playing career1
Years	Club
2019–S7 (2022)	Brisbane
2023–	St Kilda
Total
	1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2023 season.
Career highlights
	AFL Women's Rising Star nominee: 2020; Brisbane leading goalkicker: 2020, S7 (2022); AFLW premiership player: 2021; AFL Women's All-Australian team: S7 (2022); AFL Women's leading goalkicker: S7 (2022);
	Source: AustralianFootball.com

Jesse Tawhiao-Wardlaw (usually known as Wardlaw, born 13 January 2000) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for St Kilda in the AFL Women's competition (AFLW). She played for Brisbane from 2019 to season seven (2022).

Wardlaw plays as a key forward and led Brisbane's goalkicking for the first time in 2020. Her breakout season as a power forward came in season seven when she won the AFL Women's leading goalkicker award with the highest average goal haul in the league at more than 2 goals a game.^[3]

Early life

Wardlaw was born in Ashburton, New Zealand to an Aucklander mother and Christchurch father.^[4] Both her mother's parents and father's parents are Māori.^[2] She migrated to Australia with her family at the age of 4.^[2]

While growing up, Jesse's father would join in kick-to-kick with a rugby league ball.^[2] At Slacks Creek State School and John Paul College she participated in cross country and basketball, netball and touch rugby.^[5] A talented netballer, Wardlaw was chosen in the Queensland Under 17 and Under 19 state representative sides.^[6] Her first introduction to Australian rules was through her friends, who encouraged her to be part of the AFL 9s social non-contact team in the Yeronga competition and the umpire of one of these games Tayla Harris seeing significant potential in her to be successful recommended she play at club level.^[6] She started with Coorparoo junior women's before being part of the Brisbane South Under 17 representative team and the Queensland Under 18 side. During this time, Wardlaw was approached by the Brisbane Lions who signed her to their Academy program.^[6]

She was playing for Coorparoo in the AFL Queensland Women's League when she was drafted^[1] by Brisbane with the 61st pick in the 2018 AFL Women's draft.

AFLW career

She made her debut in the Lions' round 1 game against Greater Western Sydney at Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex on 3 February 2019.^[7]

She was nominated for the AFLW Rising Star Award in Round 2, 2020, after kicking three goals in the Lions' win over Geelong. Wardlaw achieved selection in Champion Data's 2021 AFLW All-Star stats team, after coming runner up in the league for average marks inside 50 in the 2021 AFL Women's season, totalling 2.0 a game.^[8]

Wardlaw was celebrated by AFL Queensland on International Women's Day 2020 as a cross-coder who plays multiple sports.^[6]

At the end of season seven (2022), she was traded to St Kilda as part of a five-club deal.^[9]