How Matilda Scholz became a football powerhouse, feminist and TikTok sensation

Throw in a ruthless streak on the footy field – and she can spell trouble for opponents.

Former Port Adelaide coach Lauren Arnell recalled having to step in at training to separate Scholz and her veteran teammate Gemma Houghton.

Arnell had encouraged the players to bring their physicality to the session. Scholz started throwing her giant athletic frame around and Houghton took exception. Just as the scuffle began to escalate, Arnell rushed in to pull them apart. Neither was about to take a backward step.

The coach described the fiery wrestle as a positive moment because the players found a greater level to challenge each other within training. It sparked an eight-game winning streak that led the Power all the way to the 2024 preliminary final.

Scholz’s mum Peta has also had some nervous moments watching her eldest daughter play.

“She was so much taller than anyone else when she was younger, and all the coaches were yelling out, ‘stop the big girl, stop the big girl’. Matilda had no idea how strong she was.

“I would often stand there with my hands to my eyes and not be able to watch, fearful that Matilda would accidentally hurt someone. I just hoped all the other players would walk off without an injury. It was definitely hard to watch.”

Peta Scholz (nee Squire) played netball for Australia. As a hard-working, smart wing defence, she won a World Cup and Commonwealth Games gold medal alongside champions of the game, including Liz Ellis and Sharelle McMahon.

“I miss playing netball. I wanted to win, I wanted to beat my opponent and I wanted to be the best there was as well,” she says.

Her dad, David, recalls a game when she was just 10 playing for the Mitcham Hawks under-14s.

“It was a game against the Henley Sharks. She was going OK in the ruck, and they just got into her. It was pretty brutal. They literally were targeting her, jumping into her, running into her to stop her getting the ball. Anyway, she reacted in a way which I feel like we see a fair bit today – where it actually fires her up a bit. It was almost like a moment for me watching her and suddenly seeing a different kid. When she was pressed physically, she found another gear.”

Scholz now bats away opposition players the way a cowboy swats flies. She has mastered the Dusty Martin “don’t argue”. In season 11, she’s on the cusp of becoming the game’s best player. She’ll need to dethrone Kangaroos champ Jasmine Garner to get there.

The running ruck won her first All-Australian blazer last year. And at the halfway mark of the season, she’s on track to go back-to-back. On Saturday, she’ll be up against one of the AFLW’s most in-form talls, Swans ruck Ally Morphett.

But it’s not just Scholz’s footy attributes that stand out. It’s her marketability as well. Last month, the Power star graced the front cover of Women’s Health magazine. And she’s a social media darling, attracting the most followers on TikTok of all AFLW players. She’s in the top five on Instagram. Melbourne’s Tayla Harris is at No.1.