Why Sydney Swans AFLW recruit Kiara Beesley pivoted from acrobatic gymnastics to footy

It’s not the cutthroat and heavily dramatised beam balancing of the Olympics, but the throwy-catchy kind, where teams of two or three contort themselves into human towers in a show of trust and athleticism.

“I was just throwing and catching a person instead of a ball,” Beesley says.

The transition from floor mat to footy field isn’t nearly as far fetched as it may have originally sounded.

“Not a lot of people know about it but acro is team-based. It’s a smaller team of pairs of a trio so you’re always relying on someone,” Beesley says.

“If you’re on top, you’re relying on the bases not to drop you and then as a base you have to provide your top with enough trust that you’re going to catch them.”

The bigger challenge for Beesley in transitioning from elite acrobatics into elite football mirrors her move from midfield into Sydney’s back line.

She’s no longer the base for one, arabesque-ing teammate, she’s the safety net for 15.

Having smashed records at the 2020 AFLW Draft Combine, where she was top five all-time across the 20m sprint, vertical and running jump, Beesley’s wait for a guernsey was a nervous one.

The agile 20-year-old had long-hoped for a call-up, but it wasn’t until she saw her Southern Power teammate Ruby Sargent-Wilson handed the historic first Swans contract that the idea it may actually happen hit home.

“She deserves it so much,” Beesley says. “Seeing her get that made the possibility a bit more real. It’s awesome to have a club teammate there as well.”

That possibility was the culmination of months of pain in her rehabilitation from a knee injury last year, and sacrifice, forgoing her first sporting love in acro.

“When I started playing I was doing acro and footy together and I made the Australian team for acro, but when Covid meant we couldn’t go overseas I thought I’d really give footy a go,” Beesley says.

“And then, I tore my ACL and MCL.”

The injury came at the same time the Swans were granted an AFLW licence, with the competition expanding to involve all 18 AFL sides.

Despite being closer than ever to a contract (as a Swans Academy player), the AFLW felt further away than ever.

But as you can quickly discern from her charge-down, aggressive playing style, Beesley isn’t one to give up. When the call did come, it was overwhelming.

“It was really emotional,’ she says. “Something I wanted so badly and I didn’t know if it was going to happen.

“I fought hard to earn my spot here. We all have, but some of us have had to do it the hard way.

“I think that’s what makes us more united, we’re no longer individuals, we’re a team that were fighting hard, but now we’re fighting for each other.”

With no games under their belt in the AFLW yet, the foundational club has the chance to build their identity on heart, before results.

“The group of girls is really awesome, the bonding and culture that we’ve developed over a short period is so strong,” Beesley says.

“We’ve decided on foundations of ruthless, selfless and united and we all have to push to reach those expectations. I’ve got them imprinted in my mind.”

On the park, Beesley seems to take the concept of ruthlessness to heart.

She notched up four tackles in the Swans’ pre-season hitout against Collingwood last weekend, having entered the game after the major break.

Beesley left any admiration for the Pies’ star-studded forward line on the bench as she defended with little trepidation for her new knee, but despite her ruthless showing, the experience of Steph Chiocci was too much for the Swans’ backline to contain, with the Swans eventually succumbing 56 to 26.

“It is a four-quarter game. It’s easy to play and compete for the first half but I think we learned that it is hard to sustain pressure for four quarters,” Beesley says.

“The biggest thing is that we can’t drop off. High-speed running, intensity and communication needs to stay on the whole time and that’s something we can work on throughout the season but is an easy fix so expect to see that from game one.”

While the match was a wake-up call for the young players like Beesley, there were plenty of examples of the team’s ‘united’ value across the park. It’s a focal point of their newly appointed leadership team.

“Our leaders are a really unique group. I feel really comfortable going up to them, they really got around me when I was nervous last week coming back from injury.

“They’re leading from the front but also leading from behind and pushing the rest of us up and inspiring us to be our own leaders in our actions.

“There is a massive responsibility on every player, first year or seventh year, to push your teammates to be the best they can, I think that’s the environment Scott is trying to develop for the team.”

Scott Gowans, the team’s inaugural women’s head coach, has been impressed by Beesley’s efforts around the ball and in contested play, with her physicality matched only by her intent to improve.

“We’ve found a very talented athlete in Kiara,” Gowans says.

“She is coming back from a knee injury, which shows resilience, especially as through the injury she taught herself how to kick on her non-dominant foot.”

With so much of women’s footy decided by winning contested possessions and gaining territory, that physicality could be key to the Swans’ early success.

But Beesley is seemingly unconvinced this reputation is enough to rest on.

“I am always going to work on my strength and physicality,” Beesley says.

“Weaknesses are something that I’m continuously working on so it’s not extra work, it’s something that I have to do. But I think what will set me and us apart as a team is working on our strengths.”

As a new side, individual efforts for the Swans will be crucial to their results, and Beesley knows that her strength, and willingness to go the additional mile for her teammates is an important asset in the Swans’ arsenal.

“We’ve got weapons in the team and we need to utilise them. My strength and athleticism is something I’ll pursue even more so that it can be put to better use.”

Beesley and the Swans will make their AFLW debut against St Kilda on the Saturday 27th August at North Sydney Oval.