ONE OF the best contested marks in the AFL Women’s Draft crop, West Adelaide’s Chloe Tonkin shares a special piece of history at the Bloods. She became the first father-daughter combination to debut at the club – her dad Tony debuted in 1990 – and has held down a key position role over the last couple of years as a ruck or forward.
We spoke to Tonkin at the South Australian Preseason Testing Day about her journey, goals and what it means to be part of that slice of West Adelaide history.
Q: Chloe, tell us a bit about your footballing journey to get to where you are now?
CT: “My dad used to play League for West Adelaide and he was always a big footy supporter so I just grew up watching footy. Then I started seeing some of my friends start playing it about five years ago when i was 13 and I started playing for my local club which was Goody Saints. I loved it even though I wasn’t very good. My dad and I would go down to the oval and practice my kicking. I started off very bad but I’d like to say it’s progressed a little bit and so I’ve played for Goody Saints for a year and then I got asked out to West Adelaide for the Under 16s and then got asked to League and so I’ve been playing out there for League and I debuted two years ago and then state throughout that time.”
Q: Would you say dad’s been your key mentor throughout the footy pathway, has there been anyone else?
CT: “I think my dad’s a very big part of that and I think we both train the same and have that hard work ethic the same so I think that him also having that experience of League football helped. Because we were the first father-daughter League players at West Adelaide and I think that also my next door neighbour, her name’s Kathryn Harrison, she was a pioneer in women’s sports. She used to play rugby, used to play footy, she coach’s footy so I think that her also just being there sometimes just to have a different perspective and a different person to talk to or a different person to have a kick with always helps because I love the sport obviously.”
Q: Can you describe yourself as a player?
CT: “I think I’m aggressive. I’m very passionate and I’m a strong marking player who is very strong and can push people around.”
Q: Do you have any other strengths building on what you said there?
CT: “I think my marking’s a big strength of mine, and also my physicality. My ruck presence is also very good, bodying and around the ground presence. I also think that my kicking is good as well. Obviously there’s always something to improve on though.”
Q: Do you have have any weaknesses to your game?
CT: “Yeah I would say that two of my weaknesses just because I’m a big player, tall, strong and just my agility in general. That’s just something I’ve been working on with a running coach trying to get that better. Just like agility and agility squares which pairs up with my groundballs, but i think my groundballs are improving.”
Q: Do you watch a lot of footy?
CT: “Yes I do watch a lot of footy.”
Q: Do you have any players you look up to or try to model your own game on?
CT: “I think that I really look up to Matilda Scholz. I love the way she takes on the game, aggressive around the ground, very physical. I would say I base my game on her and I think we play quite similarly and lots of people point out similar things between us. I think Emma King from North Melbourne. One of my good friends from Westies is good friends with her. They used to be in Melbourne together, and she comes out when she’s in Adelaide with us and I just love the way she’s a ruck and I love the way she talks and helps me and mentors me just by showing me little techniques and body positioning around the ground so I really look up to those two players particularly.”
Q: Who do you support?
CT: “I go for Collingwood.”
Q: Is there any reason for that?
CT: “Something about my dad’s good friend or someone he used to play with went on to play for Collingwood so he grew up going for them and he’s a big Collingwood supporter. Then I used to go for Crows because my mum goes for Crows, and then he converted me and I’m like a diehard Collingwood fan ever since then, love Collingwood.”
Q: Just on your dad, you said you’re first father-daughter combo for Westies, can you speak to what that meant for both of you?
CT: “I think it was very special. It meant a lot to him, he grew up at Westies, all the Tonkin’s grew up at Westies. It was very important especially back then when the SANFL was a bit more of a thing than the AFL, it was like a big thing and very special to see because he always wanted to have a kid that played footy and now our name is sketched in West Adelaide history, both debuting so that was really special.”
Q: Just lastly, what goals do you have for the season?
CT: “My goal is to be a strong marking player, a strong key forward, a strong centre half-forward, dominate throughout the air, on ground, be really physical, be high intensity that’s something I’m really focusing on well, high intensity when the ball hits the ground. Tackling and all that stuff, but yeah just play consistently play good footy at the level that I hope to perform at.”
