REIGNING Woodville-West Torrens Women’s best and fairest winner Annie Falkenberg is determined to change the league’s perception of the Eagles in 2022. The second-year leader had a career-best year in 2021 after being captain last year, and now she has her sights set on helping drive her side up the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) Women’s ladder. Though she has her own individual goals, Falkenberg said the playing group was driven to improve next season.

“I guess coming in with a new coach, a new development league in the reserves this year,” she said. “As a club we really want to put a stamp on the competition, because we really want to use as not a fresh start, but continue on the good things that we’re good at, but this time really make an impact on the field and really make teams fear us.

“I think that’s something that we haven’t got the best feedback in the past, that Eagles are just a team that are an easy win on the day. I think that really has gotten to us players and that’s our motivator for next year, so watch out.”

Falkenberg’s own journey started a few years ago, coming into the competition as a mature-age recruit having not played it as a teenager. Like many, she was a basketball convert who though she would “give footy a crack” at age 21, as her interest in basketball by her own admission was “dropping away”.

“I started off at local league playing for Adelaide Uni,” Falkenberg said. “Managed to win two premierships there and then jumped over to Eagles with Tess Baxter who was coach at Adelaide Uni who then got the gig at Eagles , and was part of the inaugural year, and now in my fourth year at Eagles.”

Falkenberg described the change as “quite a challenge” given there were many more players on a team, and a lot harder to earn a spot with greater competition for each spot. Despite it still being “very new” to her, Falkenberg said she was excited to be apart of the Eagles program.

“Being a part of the uprising of the girls program since their inaugural year has been something really special and not many girls get the opportunity to be part of that pathway,” Falkenberg said. “I guess it’s evolved every year still and we’re still evolving and we’ve got a lot to learn. “It’s just so exciting and I think this year will be our best yet.”

Speaking of best years, Falkenberg’s best came last season when she took out the 2021 Woodville-West Torrens Eagles Women’s best and fairest award. She admits she is “still surprised by it” but figures she “must have done something right” to earn the award.

“Footy is still foreign to me even through four years, I’ve still got so much to learn,” Falkenberg said. “For myself to have such a successful year it was almost strange and I kind of surprised myself with it and I think jumping on in the leadership role comes with its challenges. “You’re worried that your leadership might impact your on-field performance because you’re worried so much about the off-field stuff as well. “But I think I just took it by the horns and actions spoke louder than words.”

Falkenberg enjoyed the move inside having played on a wing previously, and described her endurance and short sprint efforts as her strengths. Though she admitted she needed to work on her fundamentals to take her game to the next level, she was looking forward to improving those aspects to become an even better all-round player.

“All the athletic side of the game I do quite well, but it’s more the fundamentals like the ground balls and the marking that i’m chipping away at, each training so. Just back to basics for me,” she said.

“I’m going to again focus on my leadership role. “I’ve obviously got one year under my belt in a leadership position so yeah keep building on that, and hopefully it translates it again on the field.”