GEELONG Falcons winger Mekah Morrissy has one of the largest tanks in the Coates Talent League Girls competition, and off the back of showing that through a top two finish in the yo-yo test for the competition, the hard-running outside talent is ready for a huge 2024 season.
We spoke to the top-ager at the recent Talent League Preseason Testing Day earlier this month about her journey to the Falcons, her game, who she looks up to, and her goals for the season ahead.
Q: Mekah, tell us a bit about your footy journey?
MM: “I’ve been playing since I was about five or six years-old, Auskick. My brother and my dad played footy so I’ve always really wanted to be like them. I’ve always loved the look of the contact, so I really wanted to get started young so I played with the boys until I was bottom-age Under 15s and then switched over to the girls. Then Geelong Falcons, playing with them with Sara (Howley) as well at 15 or 16, it’s pretty good learning good learning curve and I’ve really enjoyed it.”
Q: Where do you play your best footy?
MM: “I’ve been playing on the wing at Falcons for the past two or three years and I’ve been really enjoying it. Learning the position and really trying to master it with a lot of help from the mids coach and even (head coach) Mel Hickey as well. Just trying to learn most of it and how I can play for our teammates and also just get around them as much as I can.”
Q: Will you play a similar role or mix it up a bit this season?
MM: “I’m hoping to play a bit of half-forward maybe as well just for a bit of a rotation outside midfielder. I’ll be happy either way. I really have learned to love the wing, so I enjoy it.”
Q: Tell us about some of the strengths and improvements in your game?
MM: “My strengths are my running ability and my tackle pressure and I think putting chaos on the ball at times especially around the contest. Improvements definitely just power through the ball, and I think because I’m quite small, using my body and just getting a bit bigger to finesse the ball one-on-one, especially on the wing, you kind of need to.”
Q: Which players fo you look up to?
MM: “Mikayla Bowen at Geelong Cats I think is a really good player on the wing. Because she’s always small player like me too, so I really enjoy watching her and learning from her. Also for inside midfield is Georgie Prespakis and Monique Conti, those stars in the AFLW. Their power through the contest is just unbelievable so I also really look up to that too.”
Q: Are you a Cats fan?
MM: “Geelong Cats AFLW, Essendon for AFL.”
Q: Is there a story behind that?
MM: “My whole family just goes for Essendon. But when the Cats got a side for AFLW and because I live around the corner from GMHBA too, it was just easy access.”
Q: Have you had access to senior players at trainings?
MM: “We have had Georgie Prespakis for a couple of trainings, but we’ve also had a VFLW player Poppy Schaap and AFLW player Kate Darby there helping our coaches for us and they come down once or twice a week at our trainings and really just help. Kate Darby helps the ruck contests and the midfield, Poppy helps with the contest work and the forwards as well. It’s really good when they’re there, we learn heaps from them.”
Q: What goals you set for yourself this year?
MM: “Hopefully get a game in the trial game for Vic Country and hope for the best to get into that. Either way I’m just happy to be out on the ground again and hopefully overcome any injuries I get. But just hoping for a consistent year and do my best.”
Q: Have you had a clean slate over preseason?
MM: “I had a bit of stress on my lower back last year so that caused a bit of a curve in rehab and how much load I can put on, but hopefully during this season it doesn’t flare up again. If it does we’ll just take it slow week-by-week, just trying to be good for each week, each game.”
