AFTER breaking through for the Glenelg Women’s maiden flag in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) Women’s competition last season, premiership captain Ellie Kellock wants to taste more success. The 24-year-old has been a member of the Bays since the inaugural season. After not being able to take up the sport as a child, Kellock worked her way back into the code.

“Always wanted to play as a younger girl, but being in the country up in Burra,” she said. “I didn’t really have those opportunities so stuck with netball, and every other sport under the sun and then got the opportunity when I moved to Sacred Heart to play for school. “So I played for Marymount and from there one of the umpires said ‘oh do you want to come out and play for Morphies Park?”

“I went into the junior program there and opened up opportunities to go and play with seniors and then state sides as well, and then was zoned to Glenelg as well. “Which was a place I always wanted to go there anyway, but to be zoned there was a blessing.”

Kellock rose through the Glenelg side to become one of the most consistent performers week-in, week-out. Then, she was voted in as captain to lead the club, and came away with the ultimate success last season.

“It’s been unreal. I think when you’re fresh out of school and you get into a program that’s also fresh in itself being there from the start, it was lovely to see Glenelg put their hand up to be an inaugural side in the competition which was awesome,” she said, before paying tribute to past leaders who had paved the way for the club success.

“Then obviously seeing the girls like Cass Hartley, Lex Edwards, Em Woods work their way into the program and really stamp their foot always aspired me to do the same and follow in those leadership roles. “Those girls that were in the role before me definitely opened up a lot of eyes to my eyes, and opened up a lot of opportunities.”

When asked about the season that was in 2021 and what that was like captaining the club to a premiership, you could not wipe the smile off Kellock’s face.

“Yeah the big W on the end wasn’t bad was it?” she said.

“It was nice to get that win. “It’s testimony to all the hard work, and we always had the long-term project ahead of us when we were having 20 players coming in every year and debuting pretty much every one of them so it’s always a struggle to get there, but I think what we’ve worked out over the past three years is to build and retain some players too which has been good, and that was the result of the culture and building great relationships and that sort of stuff, has sort of led us to the win which was good.”

Naturally, Kellock has a lot of fond memories from the biggest football game of her life. When asked at what moment she thought the Bays would be premiers, she had a couple of moments that really stuck out.

“That’s my favourite question,” she said. “That night my response was ‘in the first 30 seconds’ we kicked a goal in the first 30 seconds of the game and you could just see everyone was up and about.

“But when I really reflect back and I look at it now, I think in the last quarter about five to six minutes to go, you just knew. “A couple of goals ahead and had the majority of the play was just really settling, which was nice to know.”

Kellock describes her strength aside from her leadership, being the fact she is able to win the ball in a contest and use her agility to escape opposition clutches. Along with her voice, Kellock has been able to win the ball consistently across her entire career. As for her improvements, Kellock said she wanted to improve her kicking penetration by about five to 10 metres on both legs, and being able to increase her fitness even more with the impending rule changes.

The SANFL Women’s will adopt a 16-a-side style game in 2022 to match that of the AFL Women’s competition. Kellock said it meant that fitness was going to be a major factor, but also the way teams moved the ball in transition.

“I think also being able to work it out of defence even though we’ve got the anti-density that will limit that congestion, but it’s still going to be hard because it’s one less kick that you’re going to have as an option,” she said. “So working out of defence you’re really going to have to kick to space and hope that your girls get there, I think is going to be the key to it.”

Now just a day away from the New Year and the 2022 SANFL Women’s season fast approaching, Kellock said she would love to take the next step up to the AFL Women’s, but her overall goal was focused on back-to-back flags with the Bays.

“Another premiership would be nice for the club I think, and just continuing to build that club culture with the men’s side as well,” Kellock said of her team goal. “We’ve got a really good bond there, and a great bunch of lads there that really want to be apart of our program and vice-versa so I think that’s really important.

“Individually I’d like to go to next level, if it happens that’s great, if it’s doesn’t it’s not the end of the world. “You’ve got to look at it from a perspective like it’s an opportunity, get in there, but that would be the ultimate goal personally.”