Natalie "Nat" Grider (born 10 October 2000) is an Australian rules footballer playing for

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

in the

AFL Women's AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football league for women's Australian rules football, female players. The 2017 AFL Women's season, first season of the league ...

competition (AFLW).

Junior and state football

Grider started playing Australian rules football as a teenager with Jindalee Jags. She was also a member of the

Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions is a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was formed in late 1996 via a merger of the Melbourne-based 1883 foundation VFL c ...

Academy and excelled for the club in the 2018 Winter Series against Greater Western Sydney and

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

. After three years at Jindalee Jags, in 2017, Grider joined the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

in the

AFL Queensland Women's League There are five senior women's AFL leagues in Queensland governed by AFL Queensland. The Queensland Australian Football League Women's (QAFLW) is the highest league in the State and provides elite women footballers the opportunity to play in ...

(QWAFL). In the 2018 season she won the QWAFL Rising Star Award, was selected in the QWAFL Team of the Year, and shared the club's best and fairest award with Megan Hunt and

Jane Childes Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name * Jane (surname), related to the given name Film and television * ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd * ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fi ...

. In 2019, she was selected again for the QWAFL Team of the Year. Grider represented Queensland in the

AFL Women's Under 18 Championships The NAB AFL Women's Under-18 Championships are the annual national Australian rules football championships for women players aged 18 years or younger. The competition is seen as one of the main pathways towards being drafted into a team in the ...

. In the 2018 AFL Women's Under 18 Championships she led the team as captain, was selected for the All-Australian team, and was selected as Queensland's most valuable player.

AFLW career

Grider was drafted to the

(AFLW) by

with the 22nd pick in the 2018 AFL Women's draft, joining her long-time teammate

Gabby Collingwood Gabrielle "Gabby" Collingwood (born 15 January 1999) is an Australian rules footballer who played for the Brisbane Lions in the AFL Women's (AFLW). Junior and state football Collingwood started playing Australian rules football in May 2011, w ...

. She made her AFLW debut in the Lions' round 4 game against

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Founded in 1877 as the Footscray Football Club, and based in West Footscray in the o ...

Whitten Oval Whitten Oval (also known as Victoria University Whitten Oval under a naming rights agreement) is a stadium in the inner-western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in Barkly Street, West Footscray. It is the training and administr ...

on 23 February 2019 as a late replacement for captain Leah Kaslar. She played two games in her debut season. In April 2019, Grider re-committed to Brisbane for the 2020 season. She played every game of the season, shutting down small forwards and steadily disposing the ball out of the back-line. She raised her game every week and culminated the season with the club nominating her for the 2020 AFLW Players' Association's Most Valuable Player Award along with

Emily Bates Emily Bates (born 18 October 1995) is an Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She previously played for the Brisbane Lions from 2017 to season seven. Bates was selected by the in the inaugura ...

and

Kate Lutkins Kate Lutkins (born 31 May 1988) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Brisbane Lions in the AFL Women's. She was the "best player on the ground" at the 2021 AFL Women's Grand Final. Early life Lutkins was born in 1988 in Brisbane, ...

. The 2021 AFL Women's season saw Grider rapidly improve, besting her averages in disposals, kicks, handballs, marks and tackles. She received a 2021 AFL Women's Rising Star nomination in the third round of the season after an impressive game against where she collected 16 disposals, 7 marks and 2 tackles. The first three rounds of the season saw her become the Lions' leading disposal getter. Grider signed on with for one more year on 15 June 2021.

Statistics

:''Statistics correct to the end of round 3, 2021. , - style=background:#EAEAEA , scope=row , 2019 , , , , 17 , 2 , , 0 , , 0 , , 5 , , 5 , , 10 , , 3 , , 4 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.5 , , 2.5 , , 5.0 , , 1.5 , , 2.0 , , 0 , - , scope=row , 2020 , , , , 10 , 7 , , 0 , , 0 , , 29 , , 28 , , 57 , , 7 , , 20 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 4.1 , , 4.0 , , 8.1 , , 1.0 , , 2.9 , , 0 , - style=background:#EAEAEA , scope=row , 2021 , , , , 10 , 3 , , 0 , , 0 , , 27 , , 25 , , 52 , , 7 , , 16 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 9.0 , , 8.3 , , 17.3 , , 2.3 , , 5.3 , , , - class=sortbottom ! colspan=3 , Career ! 12 !! 0 !! 0 !! 61 !! 58 !! 119 !! 17 !! 40 !! 0.0 !! 0.0 !! 5.1 !! 4.8 !! 9.9 !! 1.4 !! 3.3 !! 0

Playing style

Grider can play as a half-back or as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

and demonstrates athleticism and strong marking skills.

Personal life

Grider was born and raised in

. She is a supporter of

, despite her mum supporting St Kilda and her dad supporting

Carlton Carlton may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...

. She studied at the

and received a Bachelor of Exercise and

Sports Science Sports science is a discipline that studies how the healthy human body works during exercise, and how sport and physical activity promote health and performance from cellular to whole body perspectives. The study of sports science traditionally inc ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grider, Nat 2000 births Living people Sportswomen from Queensland Australian rules footballers from Queensland Brisbane Lions (AFLW) players 21st-century Australian women