BOASTING a team-first attitude and a desire to improve, Oakleigh Chargers key forward Emma McDonald does the little things right. A basketball convert who is only into her third year of football and second at an elite junior program, the Vic Metro forward is among the top talents in this year’s AFL Women’s Draft.
McDonald booted four goals in Vic Metro’s huge win over the Allies, and has kicked majors in all bar one of her Coates Talent League Girls games. In 2024, McDonald has averaged 16.0 disposals, 5.0 marks, 3.0 tackles, 3.4 inside 50s and slotted 13 goals in seven games – almost two per match – just one short of her final amount in 2023.
We spoke to McDonald at the Coates Talent League Girls Preseason Testing Day to find out about her football journey, what she hopes to achieve this year, and how her experiences of last year set her up for 2024.
Q: Tell me a little bit about your entry into football. When did you get started and how did you get to Oakleigh?
EM: “I started about 2022. I transitioned over from representative basketball and I just decided I needed a things for a team environment and that’s when I first started my local football journey and a year later I got into Oakleigh. I was lucky enough got the opportunity to play and started from there.”
Q: Did you click with footy straight away and just really enjoyed it and picked up the skills and played well?
EM: “I’ve always loved footy ever since six years-old at Auskick. My family has always been a footy family, AFL watching it every weekend, go for Port Adelaide. My dad kind of forced me into that.”
Q: Are there any players that you look up to and look to mould your game on?
EM: “Yeah definitely from the men’s side, Zak Butters. Just the way he goes about things, work ethic and head over body.”
Q: You burst onto the scene in a way, how do you think your form for Oakleigh, getting to play for Vic has set you up for your top-age season?
EM: “Obviously the team had a lot to do with that. I was focused on last year getting around the team and making us go further in finals. Hopefully it’s set us up well for finals this year as well, not just individually, it’s the team as well.”
Q: How was that experience?
EM: “It was so surreal, the atmosphere, the team, the energy,. It’s unimaginable, you can’t really imagine until you live it.”
Q: Are you still looking to lock down that key forward role, is that where you think you’re just going to play your best footy? What are some of your strengths you can show there?
EM: “Yeah definitely. I’m looking to go full-forward and centre half-forward and also going centre half-back if I get the opportunity, but my strengths just competitiveness and aerial ability. Even if I don’t mark it, bringing it to ground and helping out my teammates where I can.”
Q: What are you still looking to improve on?
EM: “Definitely my aerobic capacity, running, go faster speed for longer durations, so hopefully that improves this year. Also probably kicking on the run because I don’t normally get the opportunity to do that as much as I would like to.”
Q: Do you have any specific goals set up for the year?
EM: “For Oakleigh, probably just to use my voice a bit more and become a bit more vocal with the team and hopefully develop younger girls as well.”
