CALDER Cannons’ Felicity Mahoney is in a rare place when it comes to AFLW club ties. Due to the father-daughter rule requiring just one game for a draft prospect to be eligible to head to her father’s club, Mahoney – the daughter of Josh – has links to Collingwood, Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs, which makes her support of Essendon even more intriguing.
We spoke to the Cannons top-ager at the Talent League Girls Preseason Testing event about her draft ties, preseason, game and her goals for the year ahead.
Q: Felicity, you’re in quite a unique position compared to a lot of other draftees being tied not just one club, but three, what’s that been like for you growing up?
FM: “Growing up obviously my family we were always around footy, always going to the games. I didn’t actually play footy, they didn’t let me play footy until Year 7, I was a basketballer. But being surrounded by footy, it’s just so comfortable when I go to any games or anything because I’m used to the environment and can easily get tips from my family. Even though my mum thinks she knows everything, she hasn’t played.”
Q: Who do you go for?
FM: “I go for Essendon. It’s kind of a bit iffy because some of my family goes for Melbourne, and now because my dad’s not at the club we followed him so now I’m just sticking to Essendon which is probably not the best choice.”
Q: Have you thought much about the decision that lies ahead? Or is it more about enjoying your footy first?
FM: “I’m going to try and enjoy my footy first, but I have thought about it a bit. Obviously I don’t get to pick, it’s whoever’s interested in me most. But I’m lucky enough to go to a few Collingwood training sessions and no matter who I go to, if I go to someone, I’ll be so happy. I haven’t really thought about it too much.”
Q: How’s you preseason been so far?
FM: “It’s been pretty good with getting to know all the new girls as well and putting in the extra one percenters at training. Obviously the running is very challenging, trying to get my aerobic capacity up, but overall it’s been pretty good.”
Q: Where do you think you’ll fit in, in terms of your role?
FM: “I think I’m going to fit in the midfield, and as a leader of the team, obviously being top-age I want to lead the way for the younger girls next year and set a good example of who they want to be next year.”
Q: What do you see as some of your strengths and improvements?
FM: “My strengths in my game would definitely be my clean hands and my footy IQ around stoppages. A few things I need to continue working on is my aerial work as I am turning into more of a high-forward in the forwardline and need to work on my marking.”
Q: Do you watch a lot of football?
FM: “Yeah, I’ve grown up watching it all the time, and it’s always on the TV. Sometimes it’s two TVs with different footy on.”
Q: Are there any players you look up to or model your game on?
FM: “In AFL it would be Christian Petracca just because seeing how he’s developed over the years from when he first got drafted to now the strong player that he is. Then in AFLW it would be Jasmine Garner because I think I can base my game off of her, and she’s a big influence because she’s a similar role to me.”
Q: What goals have you set up for yourself this year?
FM: “This year my main goal is to stay consistent because last year I started off a bit low, and then had some ups and downs, so probably just trying to stay consistent.”
