“Humbled” Swans captain happy with huge move
NEW Swans’ captain Chloe Molloy was certainly one of the biggest movers of the offseason, moving from Collingwood up to Sydney ahead of the upcoming AFLW season.
It was a big and surprising move to some, with Molloy well known for her lifelong love of the black and white.
But the star herself could not be happier with the decision she made.
“I know it’s a huge move from the outside but for me I’m really content in the decision I made,” Molloy said.
“I love Sydney, I love it more than I thought I would. The lifestyle just suits me and there had to be some change in my world, I wanted a new challenge and it was the lifestyle that got it for me.
“Being, and I know it sounds really cliché, but being in Sydney where the weather is nicer it just created a better mental space for me and I feel like I’ve been able to operate at a higher level and I’ve come off the back of rehab and surgery and coming to Sydney and I’ve just honestly loved it.
“I’ve felt really embraced by the club and embraced the Bloods culture and yeah I’ve loved it and I’ve made every chance thrown my way I’ve said yes to.”
Despite being happy that she made the move, she did confess that it was a tough decision to make.
“The special thing about Collingwood was that there were so many good people at the footy club that I knew and had known since my inception into the AFLW and they had been along my journey, and they knew me and they knew I was a bit of a menace and I was a Collingwood supporter,” she said.
“So I’d only ever worn a Collingwood black and white jersey, I hadn’t known anything different but it was hard but it was the right decision for me, so it was not hard in the sense that I was content with what I was about to do and I’m so appreciative of the way I departed Collingwood.”
Her move to the Swans signalled a bit of a Diamond Creek Football Club reunion, with Molloy joining former Creekers head coach Scott Gowans and her former team mate Tanya Hetherington both now among the coaching staff at the Swans.
“Scotty was one of the reasons why I came across to Sydney, having that friendship back when we did have one and I felt like he is a coach that makes me better,” she said. “I feel like I play some good footy underneath him and he’s a character and I’ve really enjoyed being coached by him that one season at Diamond Creek and it is a bit of a Creekers reunion.”
She was also full of praise for her former team mate now coach Hetherington.
“Tanya’s come into the forward line and she keeps things simple stupid and I absolutely love that and she’s so invested,” she said. “We got back on the plane from the Gold Coast and she was already doing edits, doing clips and clipping up everything and talking to the girls, so she is a breath of fresh air I feel like to this group because she’s personable, she’s funny, she’s witty but she loves footy.”
Even though she has only been at the Swans a short time, she has already made an impact, named Captain in her inaugural season at the club alongside fellow big name recruit Lucy McEvoy.
Molloy certainly did not expect to be named captain at all.
“We left our captaincy a little bit late which I think gave time for new recruits and even just the girls that have been around already to show leadership qualities,” she said. “Last season for the Swannies it happened so quick and it was a whirlwind so we actually had some time to get to know each other, for girls to get to express their leadership styles and it definitely wasn’t expected, I’m still pretty humbled by it.”
“Luc and I are both pretty grateful that it was a player voted captaincy and it was passed by the board and the board accepted Luc.
“I think the special thing is that we both just got to the club and I think one thing we wanted to do was be respected and welcomed and to get to know the girls and to be voted into a position like this off the back of being in Sydney for six months, it’s so special and I reckon I’ll look back at the end of my career and think how actually incredible it was.”
She gets her first chance to lead her new team out for premiership points this weekend when the Swans take on crosstown rivals GWS on Sunday.