From the reserves bench to the bright lights of Perth, Tayla Gregory’s journey to her AFLW debut has never been a straight line.
Just two weeks ago, Gregory was still wrapping her head around the fact that her signature was on a Gold Coast Suns contract.
Now, that ink’s barely settled and she’s pulling on the guernsey for Round 1 against West Coast on their home ground, ready to write her first chapter on the national stage.
Gregory’s story isn’t the familiar script of prodigy-turned-pro. Drafted at 28, she’s a latecomer by AFLW standards.
Most have their names called before their twenties, but Gregory’s path ran through the hard yards of Southport Sharks reserves and a nursing career that she poured as much into as she did football.
The groundwork was laid in sweat, not spotlight. When Gregory moved from Cardiff, New South Wales, to the Gold Coast in 2022, she rebuilt her life around two tough calendars: the nursing roster, with its night shifts and ever-changing sleep patterns, and the demands of the footy calendar.
She quickly became a backbone for Southport’s reserves, helping deliver their 2022 premiership win, even as senior call-ups were rare that year. By 2023, she’d forced her way into the seniors, stacking games, influence, and respect.
The following year, teammates and coaches made it official, voting her into the Sharks’ leadership group. On and off the field, she became the one to set the standard, never just talking about leadership, but living it.
Her 2024 Grand Final duel against Bond University, facing off against number one draft pick Havana Harris and now Suns teammate, was the sort of performance that makes coaches lean forward and recruiters take notice.
Gregory’s persistence and determination didn’t just land her a spot in Queensland’s 2025 state team against Tasmania, but also earnt her the Best on Ground medal.
This year, the Suns couldn’t look away. Eleven games into the season, they called.
For Sharks Assistant Football Manager David Ashkar, Gregory’s rise has always been a masterclass in persistence and character.
“When I look at bringing players into our program I always go for high character people,” Ashkar said.
“Tayla is at the highest level in terms of character. She knew where she wanted to get to. She started way down in terms of talent and it just shows that if you work really hard you can get to where you want to get to. She’s proved that and it rubs off on other people.
“If you were hanging around her you just knew she could take you along for the ride. She was terrific as a leader. 
“From the first question I asked her — where do you want to get to — she told me she wanted to play AFLW. She started with us at 24–25 years old, not like an 18-year-old with the dream on the horizon.
“She had to work hard, starting in the reserves. My favourite moment was when she told me she had signed an AFLW contract. After that first conversation, she worked at it and achieved exactly what she set out to.”
Ask those who know her best, and they’ll speak first of her character.
“I still remember my first day here at the club, my first training session,” Teammate Megan Hunt said.
“Gregs was the one that really made a massive effort with Steph [O’Brien] and I, made us feel welcome.
“That was the year I did my ACL — she barely knew me then but she made me a cake, brought it to training, and wrote me a really nice letter.”
Driven. Kind. Resilient. Fierce. Caring. Considerate. Committed. These are the words her teammates use to describe her — and now, they’re the qualities she takes with her into the AFLW.
The nurse, the leader, the late-bloomer — Gregory is about to take on the AFLW with the same relentlessness that got her there. Tonight, Tayla Gregory breaks the surface and the ripples are just beginning.
