ONE of the most exciting prospects in the 2024 AFL Women’s Draft crop, West Australian Molly O’Hehir oozes natural leadership as well as a huge upside. Standing at 179cm, O’Hehir moves like the wind, can clunk contested marks and play on any line across the field.

As the South Fremantle utility has developed over the last few seasons, she has gained confidence to put out eye-catching performances each and every week. As one of the top talents out west, O’Hehir likes to take it one step at a time as she eyes off a future in the AFLW.

We spoke to her ahead of the 2024 WAFLW season to hear about her football journey, who she looks up to, and what her focused improvements are in her game.

Q: Molly, tells us about your footy journey?

MH: “I started playing footy when I was nine at Freo City Dockers Football Club. Just always had a kick of the footy with my brothers, have one older brother who plays at South Fremantle now. Always was just interested, played netball growing up, but never really thought there was opportunities for girls in the footy area. Eventually one of my friends asked me to come down and started playing and I’ve just enjoyed it all the way.

“About four or five years later I started at South Fremantle at the Rogers Cup and played that for three years. Rogers Cup was good, had Craig McNaughton and Adrian Ivancich and I really enjoyed it. I actually really struggled to get into the team for quite a couple of teams but eventually came out of my shell and started playing League when I was 15 and that’s come to here now.”

Q: Coming through South and into WA, what was it like coming amongst the best in your state?

MH: “Coming into the state team was unreal, all the girls especially last year as a bottom-ager, learning from the likes of Jaime Henry and Georgie Cleaver. It was just such a good experience to learn from them and grow as a player as well as a team.”

Q: You’ve played just about everywhere on the field, where do you think you play your best footy?

MH: “To be honest I really found a soft spot for centre half-back. I do like the half-back line and I also love mid and I have started playing forward as well. I’ve loved it all, but I love being behind the ball as a half-backer and taking intercept marks.”

Q: What do you see as some of your strengths on the field?

MH: “I think my aerial work, marking as well as breaking lines and cutting angles. That’s probably my strengths on the ground.”

Q: What are you looking to improve on?

MH: “I’ve love to work on my left foot as well as just tackling. I’m pretty aggressive player but I really want to get my tackling to another level and I really look up to Kiara Bowers and her tackling efforts and I’d love to become similar to her in that aspect.”

Q: Are you a Fremantle fan or a fan of another club?

MH: “I’m a Fremantle fan yes, but I love watching every game to be honest. I watch all the Victorian clubs.”

Q: Do you watch other state leagues or just AFLW?

MH: “I watch a bit of VFL as well, but more so WAFL and AFLW and AFL.”

Q: Do you consider yourself a bit of a footy head?

MH: “My family’s really into it, especially my mum, she’s a footy fanatic. She probably watches more footy than any of us in our family so yeah bit of a footy head definitely.”

Q: Coming into the West Australian state squad this year as one of the more experienced ones, how do you assert your influence on the group and help out in that regard?

MH: “I just really want to develop my leadership in the group and get together with some of the older girls as well and discuss how we can become better individually as well as a team. It’s definitely exciting, it’s different being a top-ager, I’ve never had that experience before.”

Q: Coming into your draft year, do you give much consideration as to where you would like to end up?

MH: “I think just take it one step at a time, it’s definitely a long road to go. It won’t be until the end of the year, so just go through my goals taking it one step at a time and what will be, will be in the end.”

Q: What goals for you set for yourself?

MH: “Just team success mostly. I believe if we played better as a team, then we’ll play better together and individually. Obviously the end goal stands there, but you’ve just got to as I said before take a step at a time.”

Q: Biggest influence on your career?

MH: “It would have to be my mum. She’s just been there for everything with me and she always supported me and swerved me on to keep playing footy and she’s my number one supporter, so it would be her.”