'What were you doing?': The viral clip this AFLW star can't get away from

One of the first things to come up when you Google AFLW fan-favourite Zarlie Goldsworthy is the viral clip of her in which she picks herself up after being burnt by teammates.

The clip from her 2023 season has amassed more than 6 million views on TikTok, been posted across platforms and included in compilation edits.

Yet even at the time, she doesn't remember doing it, or why.

"As soon as I saw my parents in the Gold Coast, they were like, 'What were you doing?' I was like, ''What are you talking about?', and they showed me the video," Goldsworthy told ABC Sport.

"I didn't even know I did it.

"The week before I kicked five goals and I'd had a few followers from Instagram after the game, and then when I checked my phone on Instagram again, I was like, 'Oh, I must have had a good game' … [but] no, it's because of this stupid video."

She said "on-field Zarlie is very different to off-field Zarlie".

Goldsworthy became known as a personality in the competition after her debut season in 2022 and breakout 2023 year, when she was crowned the Rising Star and became Greater Western Sydney's youngest-ever club champion.

Despite her side's painful few years languishing around the bottom of the ladder, Goldsworthy has been a bright spot for Giants fans. In her record-breaking 2023 campaign, she also became the youngest player ever to kick five goals in an AFLW match and the year after, took out the GWS's goal-kicking award.

Yet despite the persona attached to her stardom, Goldsworthy admits off-field, she "is very introverted".

"On my off days, if I catch up with some friends, I've always got to make sure I've got some home time … or I can easily spend a day at home and not see anyone, and that's okay. I just enjoy my own company and I have a little dog up here too, so that helps," Goldsworthy said.

That dog is a toy cavoodle named Rosie that was the family dog but came up to visit Goldsworthy and never left.

Because of this more reserved nature, it took her some time to settle after arriving at GWS as a teenager.

"My first couple years, I was very introverted and I guess just not as comfortable and not knowing how to show my true self," she said.

"Whereas now, I can be extroverted and some days can be introverted.

"That was probably the shift between my first and second year. Just being around the girls a lot more helped."

In part, this is why she ended up at the Giants. She was part of the club's academy program and, despite living in Victoria, nominated for New South Wales in the league's final state-based draft.

She was having a lot of interviews with Melbourne clubs but didn't feel a connection with anyone where the approach was less "we want you" and more "we're interviewing 200 girls, what makes you so special", which she said was fair enough.

"But Giants were just like, 'We want you', and even though it's fully sugar-coating it and they're trying to pump your tyres, as a 17-year-old, that's what you want to hear. It was nice to finally hear that," she said.

She said she had no regrets about that decision, despite GWS not finding much success in her time there.

The GWS Giants struggled last season, finishing 17th on the ladder with a 2-10 record.

In 2024, they finished 16th with a 1-9-1 record and in 2023 finished 16th with a 2-8 record.

The side hasn't had an advantageous win-loss record since the conference system was dropped after the 2020 season.

"In the early years, I really held on to the losses," she said.

"I felt like I really would carry them. We only have a 24-hour rule, but I was carrying it on for a little bit more, and just felt real, genuine frustration. Because we were so close but we just weren't quite getting there."

Goldsworthy said it was not like she didn't care anymore about losing, but she had found better outlets for dealing with it.

"Finding out those ways, how to get better, and then you don't have to hold on to the losses, drag them on with you, because it's hard when, especially in that season like 2023/24, I think it was like 13 losses in a row, something crazy.

"As much as I would like to have some more wins … we don't point fingers and we stick fat. I think that was one thing that was really promising. It never got bitchy, it never got like anyone's fault, we stuck fat, and then now, I feel like we've done all the hard yards. Like, we can lose together; now it's like winning is the easy part now."

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