COMING from a background in rugby sevens and beach sprinting, to making an impression in the Gold Coast Suns Academy, winning team time trials and making it onto the Suns’ AFLW list, Lucy Single believes there is more to come throughout her football journey.

Single opened up firstly what got her into playing football, reflecting on her journey and the challenges faced along the way.

“I went to Miami State High School and one of our PE teachers wanted to put in an AFL girl’s team in one of the school competitions,” Single said. “I’d never played before and neither had my friends. We just wanted to have a bit of fun and we all love the sport. Since we entered that competition, I’ve loved the sport.

“After the competition, we actually ended up winning and we got all the way to the state titles and we won the Queensland state titles that year, which was super exciting. It was pretty crazy because we’re all just a bunch of girls who came from random sports. It really ignited my love for AFL. There was a local club and I was like ‘that’s it, I’m gonna join, I’m going to start playing the sport more.’

“I joined the Broadbeach Cats, where we won the premiership. The next year, I joined the Burleigh Bombers, where we won another premiership, which just made footy more fun, everyone winning. Then I finally joined a QAFLW club, (Bond University) and I’ve been there for the past three years and all those clubs have given me the knowledge and skills I have now that have helped me into the AFLW. I’ve been so lucky with the clubs I’ve been with. They’ve treated me so well and it’s definitely helped me stay on track with all my dreams of playing in the AFLW.

“As much as I’m happy with what I’ve done so far, I’m definitely hungry to achieve more. I’m hoping that this is the beginning of my career, definitely those little highlights made the journey sweeter but I’m definitely aiming for a lot higher.

“I’ve been lucky with my journey, I haven’t had anything too specific, like a hardship or a barrier, so I’d say I’ve been pretty lucky. I’ve got a beautiful family that supports me and so do all my friends. Obviously, there’s always been bumps in the road but nothing too specific that has stopped me from doing anything that I love at the moment, which I’m very grateful for.”

QAFLW experience, getting drafted and thriving in the AFL Women’s environment

Having produced during a successful QAFLW campaign with Bond University and with the Gold Coast Suns on the rise, Single shares her experiences of the QAFLW competition, what in meant to get drafted, and her thoughts on the Suns’ rise in season 2022.

“My experience with Bond University has been extremely, extremely good, I’ve loved the club,” Single said. “I joined them when I was 16, so the youngest age you could join that competition. I’m just so lucky that the coaches at the time had so much belief in me, let me play in the senior team and I think through my ability to play in the senior team, I was able to get noticed by AFLW selectors. The opportunity that Bond University provided me was probably something that I will be grateful for forever.

“As a competition as a whole, I feel like even in the three years I’ve been playing in the competition, I’ve noticed each year the standard of football has gotten better and better and not only is it good competition to play in, the culture around it is so good too. You play hard against the opposition, but after the game to shake hands and have conversations afterwards. I think the culture community within Queensland football is probably unmatched. In terms of Queensland football growing from here, can’t wait to see how far we can take football in Queensland.”

“Hearing my name (on draft day), I was so nervous and it felt like a massive weight had come off my shoulders. It just felt like every sacrifice and every hard time I had gone through to get that spot, it all felt worth it and it meant so much to me. I wanted to make my family proud and to have my family there with me when my name got announced was such a special moment. It meant so much to me I can’t really put into words, they were tense and I was one very happy girl that day.

“I’ve enjoyed every step of the way of my AFLW career so far. My first few games I was definitely very nervous but that’s to be expected when you are debuting. I feel like I’ve just gotten slightly more confident with each game and I’m really excited to see how the rest of my AFLW career goes. In terms of kicking my very first goal, it was my one big moment of my career which was exciting to take that goal. I don’t really kick goals and I haven’t kicked many goals in the QAFLW competition either. It was the first goal that whole time. Having the girls around me made that nice moment even sweeter, it felt like we won the game.

“The vibes are elite this season. It was an awesome win against the Eagles. We’ve gone on a rollercoaster which is has gone up, up, up, instead of down so far. We’ve had our challenges with COVID and all that and I’m excited to see what’s going to happen in the next few rounds. After a challenging few years and to get that first win was so good. A lot of us, not just me, but a lot of our teammates, are either from Melbourne or have lots of family there, it felt like we had quite a big family crowd there. To do it in front of them was a really nice moment.

“I know we’re all itching to get our boots back on the field and have another hit-out, especially after our win (against the Eagles). We’re all very excited, we’ve all been out able to prepare and it’s all sorted out, especially with all the girls having to do iso. Everyone’s coming back now, and we’re definitely all itching to get out there and play again.”

Sporting life before AFLW

Whilst shining and making the most of her opportunities in the AFLW competition, Single shares her experiences competing in rugby sevens, beach sprinting, and what she took away from both sports.

“Similarly to when I started AFL, I started rugby sevens through a school team. I was lucky enough to be coached by Matt Chapman, who is extremely passionate and still is about growing women’s sport, especially women’s rugby sevens. We developed a high level Rugby Sevens program at our school that still runs through to this day.

“I played through those comps and made a few representative teams through rugby sevens. 2020 was the last that I played rugby sevens, it was a Queensland rep team and we were lucky enough to win that competition, which was so exciting.

“With beach sprinting, it was probably the same time I started rugby sevens and AFL, which was funny that I’d started everything at once. Surf lifesaving brought me so many opportunities. It’s definitely hard to juggle, especially when you’re playing a team sport. You have to be able to show resilience and be able to play together and I was lucky enough that I could sort all that stuff and it all worked out in the end.”

Life outside of footy

Single opened up on what life is like off the field, her pre-game rituals, and what she enjoys doing in her spare time.

“I’m working and studying at the moment,” she said. “I’m working as a guest service agent in Surfers Paradise, which gets pretty exciting sometimes. I’m also studying a Bachelor of Education at Griffiths University. I’m really enjoying my degree so far. I’ve nearly finished my first year, so I can’t say too much yet but what I’ve had so far, I’ve really enjoyed it. We also got to do a prac, where we got into a school for two weeks and I think that cemented my passion for teaching and I’m enjoying it so far.”

“I make sure I have a lot of hair ties (on game day), I like to have a low bun. Once I have what I need, I know I’m going to have a good day. Nothing else too specific, that’s probably about it. I don’t want to put too much on myself just in case it doesn’t work out on game day. The less things, the better.

“As a Gold Coast girl, I love the beach. Usually on my day off, I try and head down to the beach for a little recovery swim. I love walking through Headlands. I don’t know why but I like going through and checking out all the waterfalls and all that. I like spending time with my family, so they’re probably the three main things that I like to do.”

Toughest opponents, staying motivated, and growing as a player

Single shared the toughest opponents she’s come up against, what the sport of football means to her, how the AFLW has shaped as a player, and the role models that have helped along her journey.

“Just going off my last season, I have to say Coorparoo, the Kings. We played them in the grand final and we lost to them unfortunately after a tough game but usually playing them, you know it’s going to be a tough, hard and a good game. The rivalry is there, we’re all friends off the field but the moment you step on the field against each other, it’s game time.

“Football means family, self and community. When you join a team, you basically get 30 new sisters and we all share our ups and downs together. You get to push yourself to see what your potential is and it can be and in doing so, you can hopefully inspire and bring together your community.

“The AFLW has definitely helped my game. Even being around, for example, a high level team environment, where everyone has the same goal and wants to be the best we can be and we’re all going to do it together. My team and the whole Suns have been able to bring me up with them and it’s helped me become more professional when it comes to on the field, it has helped my composure and obviously in turn, that will help my skills and all that when playing. Every time you are playing on the field and playing, it’s also about getting out there and getting better and making those improvements.”

Lastly, Single shared her wisdom to any upcoming footballers wanting to improve their game.

“Like I mentioned before, make sure you do love playing,” she said. “If you love football, you can’t go wrong. You can’t be bad at football if you love it. Never give up. When I was younger, I didn’t make many rep teams for AFL. Because I loved it so much, I kept playing and I eventually ended up here. Make sure you love it.”