Brenna Tarrant

Brenna’s story

Brenna Tarrant was studying for her Year 12 exams in the school library when Melbourne called her name at pick 72 in the 2019 AFLW Draft. She’d gone into the draft wondering whether she’d get a chance at all. Now she had one, and it meant leaving home.

Growing up in Western Sydney, Brenna excelled in swimming, cricket and Australian rules football before choosing to pursue footy. She earned under-18 All-Australian honours in 2019 representing NSW/ACT and had come through the Giants’ VFLW program. Playing for her local AFLW club looked like a natural next step. When she learned the Giants wouldn’t be selecting her, she was left wondering whether the opportunity she’d worked towards would come at all.

Brenna was 17 when she was drafted and had just turned 18 when she moved to Melbourne. Two days after her Year 12 formal, she was already down there and training. She had to learn how to live away from her family, juggle work and study, and find her feet in an AFLW program. She debuted in 2020 and went on to play finals for the Demons.

When the Sydney Swans entered the AFLW in 2022, Brenna came home as part of their inaugural team. She played in every Swans AFLW game from the club’s debut until an ACL rupture ended her 2026 season.

Along the way, she became a leader in Sydney’s backline and earned senior All-Australian honours in 2024. At 25, she’s already achieved what she dreamed of as a junior, and she knows what it’s like to have to start building towards the next goal all over again.

What Brenna brings as a mentor

Brenna brings the perspective of a big sister who’s been through selection setbacks, moved away from home for sport and had to find her footing when injury changed her plans. She knows how much those moments can take out of you, especially when school, training and everything else keep moving around you.

If you’ve missed selection, Brenna can help you work out what feedback to ask for, set a goal for the next few weeks and decide how you’ll know you’re making progress. If you’re stepping into a new team, you can build a routine around school and training and pick one thing that’ll help you feel more settled. If injury has taken you out of the game, she can help you think through how to stay connected to your teammates and focus on what you can do while you’re away from playing.

At the next session, you’ll come back to the plan together. You’ll talk about what worked, what got in the way and what you’ll try next.