Her sister, Poppy Scholz, was drafted by Carlton in the 2024 season draft.
The best part about Matilda Scholz’s football career is that she loves every minute of it.
In her public statements, there’s never hesitation in describing the enjoyment she gets from being at the club and around her teammates every day.
Even the hardest conditioning program she’d ever done brought joy. Well, not exactly in the middle of the work, but the extensive benefits flowing from that work has brought a personal satisfaction and pleasure.
Matilda Scholz seems in possession of an ebullience for life and for the genes she’s inherited. She has a youthful presence and wisdom – challenges are interpreted as opportunities, guided by an internal hunger to grow.
Given her mother, Peta Scholz, was one of the Australian Diamonds’ finest athletes, playing with superb athleticism at wing defence, Matilda’s genetic inheritance is clear.
Her sister, Poppy Scholz, was drafted by Carlton in the 2024 season draft.
An extensive in-season focus on overhead marking resulted in Matilda Scholz being awarded the 2024 AFLW Mark of the Year when she elevated spectacularly from a pack to grab a two-handed mark in front of goal.
It isn’t a play on words, but it is appropriate that she also won the 2024 NAB Rising Star Award.
This was in just her second season of the league.
Appropriate therefore, that she would take out the PAFC AFLW Best and Fairest player in the same year as also being part of the All-Australian extended squad.
Scholz is 189cm tall. She plays in ruck. Her height is a sought-after commodity. But she is clear about one thing – she does not want to be defined by her stature.
“I want to give them a reason to be like, ‘no, she’s actually a good footballer, she’s not just tall’,” Scholz told AFL journalist, Gemma Bastiani.
Her Dad David Scholz, a teacher, has influenced her football development through junior grades, leading to selection for Glenelg in the SANFL Women’s League.
The rise has been rapid. The future is bright, for when talent, potential and joy come together, it can be a flourishing, potent mix.
