FROM showing her wares in the NAB League with the Geelong Falcons, to missing out on the draft, only to then get the call up to play with the Carlton Football Club, Poppy Schaap has made the most of her opportunities. The most exciting part? She is adamant there’s more to come.

Schaap firstly shares how she got involved in footy, her pathway through to the AFLW, and being proud of her journey plus the challenges along the way.

“My family is a really big football family that always loved watching the footy and loved supporting,” Schaap said. “My mum and sister go for the Geelong Cats and my dad and my other sister are big Collingwood fans, which made me sit in the middle – I’m a Western Bulldogs supporter, but I used to go for Geelong when I was really young.

“My mum and dad got me into Auskick at a really young age, I loved Auskick when I was six years old. I loved being active, I loved running around with the boys at the time, I just loved doing any sport when I was a child. “Having that footy culture in my family and having some really good mates that played footy really got me into it at a young age through Auskick. When it came to working out what team to go for, it was tricky.

“I had a family friend who was really big on the Western Bulldogs and they took me to a few games. I fell in love with the captain, Matthew Boyd and I ran around with his number on my back at Auskick for a few years. It was pretty hard to choose where to go but I’ve been a Bulldogs supporter for quite a long time now so I love them.

“I played a lot of Auskick, then I moved through and I started with the boys because we didn’t have a girls comp where I grew up down in Torquay. I played two seasons of Under 10s and one season with the Under 12s and I absolutely loved playing with them. The boys welcomed me with open arms and it was really cool to play against boys and I really loved it. I sort of stepped away for a bit when it got to Under 14s because I’m quite a small person and the boys were starting to get a little bit bigger.

“At the time, I started playing a lot of representative basketball, it took my main priorities and I stepped away from footy. Then, I got back into footy through school and since Under 15s in school, I’ve just continued playing footy and I’ve absolutely loved it. I can’t believe I went away for that period. I missed it so much when I started playing basketball and to be able to come back and play it through school, I just loved it.

“I was really fortunate to be invited to join the Geelong Falcons when I was 14 years old. I started off in the Futures program and I was able to train with the likes of Nina Morrison, Olivia Purcell, Denby Taylor. I had those older girls such as Lucy McEvoy, who I’m really fortunate to be playing with again.

“Having those older girls there and knowing that they were working towards something and that there was a pathway opening up, it was so special to me. Through my four years at the Falcons, I really developed as a footballer. I started to learn a bit more of the forward craft and I got to have a crack in the midfield in one of my earlier seasons and it was tough work. Getting used to the game and building my football IQ and sponging off those older girls and learning.

 “I was fortunate enough to play Vic Country in Under 16s and Under 18s and I had incredible coaches, teammates, staff, and they all had such wealth of knowledge. They know so much about the game and they had so much to give and I just wanted to get as much out of it as possible.

“I wanted to get to every training session I had with the Falcons or Country or wherever. I wanted to work as hard as I could and develop my game. I am the shortest player to have been invited and I know that it does mean sometimes you have that as a disadvantage, but it also means you can break apart the game in different ways. I’ve always known that on the smaller side,  and that I have to use my smarts a bit more and find other ways to beat opponents who might be bigger, faster or stronger than me.

“The amazing thing about the AFLW and women’s footy is that there’s so many different sizes and shapes in the game and we all bring out our different things. It doesn’t really matter what size you are. If you find the right way to play for your teammates and bring to your strengths to the game, what you do well and be the best for your team, you can do some pretty cool things.

“I’ve definitely had some setbacks through my whole career, whether that’s confidence or questioning whether I’m doing the right things on the field, whether I’m good enough to be where I am or whether I’m good enough to make it to where I want to be. It comes back to whether if you love playing footy, then go if it. If you’re not enjoying what your doing, there’s’ not much point doing it.

“Those times I was struggling, I tried and take it back to why am I playing? It’s because I love footy, being there with my mates, tackling girls, kicking to people I love and I love being in that moment. For myself, I’ve always been a big team player. In times when I was struggling with my own performances, I had a mindset of ‘how can I make my mates better that will make me better?’. If you can get back to the fundamentals of what you do really well and build your strengths, focus on them, it can help gain your confidence.”

“I think one of the biggest setbacks or challenges I faced was obviously being unsuccessful in the draft. It was hard to be projected as possibly being somewhere in the 20-30 range by a couple of media sources. After all of that, I was okay though. It was quite frustrating, but I had the mindset of ‘alright, let’s get back on the horse. This hasn’t worked out but what can we do to make sure that it will work out for us next time?’.

“Whilst you can have that disappointment, you need to understand that disappointed does breed opportunity and motivation. I was very fortunate to put some hard work in between after that draft period and for Carlton to recognise that and wanting to pick me up as a replacement player, I’m very fortunate.”

Getting the Carlton call-up and the debut experience

Schaap shares her reactions getting the call up to be on the list for the Blues, her experiences playing in the AFLW competition, and enjoyment being around the club in the wake of her senior debut.

“To get that call up from the Blues, I was absolutely ecstatic, I couldn’t believe it because I actually planned out what I was going to do for the next season,” Schaap said. “I was hoping to play a bit of VFL and mix with NAB League. When the Carlton Football Club called me up and presented that opportunity, it was 100 exactly what I wanted to take.”

“I told the club I would be taking it with both hands and work so hard when I got into the club. To be presented with an opportunity like that, I was absolutely ecstatic and I knew I wasn’t going to let it go to waste.”

“Coming from the NAB League competition, I knew it was going to be a big step and it felt even bigger. It’s incredible the amount of work women and that girls put it and how fast and advanced the AFLW has been. I remember watching the AFLW competition a few years ago on TV and it’s come such a long way, continuously growing into a fast paced, exciting game where girls are able to move the ball so swiftly, able to hit those targets really quickly and move the ball effectively from defence to forward.”

“Having that debut against North Melbourne, I had to really adjust quite quickly to the pace of the game and physicality. It was probably one of my first times coming up against women who have bigger bodies than what I would have experienced. At the same time, it’s really exciting to test the waters and see how you go against that sort of game style where it’s really physical and really quick.

“Debuting against North Melbourne, it was really awesome to be able to have my jumper presented to me by Nic (Nicola) Stevens, she’s been one of my mentors in the forward group. Nicola has got a lot of knowledge about that game, a great player. To have all the girls around me showing their support and have that pure excitement to see me get out there was just really nice and having my family at the game and having my family’s support in the stands.”

“The feeling of I’ve finally made what I wanted to do was really awesome. During the game, I was really focused on the game and what was happening, but in the back of my mind, there was a moment where I was like ‘Wow, this is really cool, I am actually doing what I’ve wanted to do since I was a little kid.’ That was incredible to be able to get out of the field and experience the game and style of football out there. It was a pretty cool experience.”

“The Blues are a really resilient group, I know we’ve had some tough losses the last few weeks but I think the girls ability to have that mentality of “alright, let’s get back to work, let’s learn from this but let’s move forward and keep developing out game, culture into something we want to see.” From my experiences, the girls have welcomed me into the group with such open arms when I first came in because I was a bit nervous and apprehensive about being new and coming into the group a bit late into pre-season. In saying that, they welcomed me so easy and helped me in so many ways, whether it be in the gym, on the field and giving me advice.”

“They have made sure I’m really comfortable with the club and I think they have a wonderful culture, it’s almost like a second family where you can approach anyone about anything and it’s a judgement free zone a comfortable space where I can feel about myself and it works really well. We’re starting to build and the resilience we have been showing is really impressive. Hopefully we can keep continuing that sort of path upwards to where we want to be.”

Life outside of football, motivation, and rituals

Schaap shares what she does away from footy, her pre-game rituals, favourite ways to spend a day off, and what drives her everyday.

“I’ve just finished up Year 12. I am deferring in 2022 but in 2023, I will be going to Fed University in Ballarat and studying Outdoor Ed Sport and Health,” Schaap said. “I’ll do that for three years and then do two years of Master of Teaching and I’m hoping to be a fully qualified Outdoor Ed Sport and Health teacher. Currently, I have a job at a Woolworths supermarket and doing that in my off time and I’ve just picked up a job with my school where we have a farm campus out in Scotsburn for the Year 9 students during the year so I’ll be helping them with their chores, supervising and looking after them.”

“I’m still sort of in the process of developing a rock solid pre-game ritual. I do like to get on the ground, if I can – barefoot. It’s always nice to feel the grass especially if it’s sunny. I like to get out on the ground and go for a walk. I’m a big fan of music. In the car, if I’m driving up to a game, I like to listen to all different kinds of music. I’ve just started listening to a few podcasts and that helps me relax. As it gets closer to the game, I really like to focus in and have that energy going right before I get out on the ground.”

“I really like the beach. I haven’t been able to go in a while but I do enjoy surfing and being at the beach with friends. I love spending a lot of time with my partner and we do spend a lot of time together doing a lot of fun things. I’m someone who spends time with friends and family, being active in the outdoors. I love going for walks with the dogs and I’ve always been out and about. I never really sat still as a kid, I always liked to be out doing things, going to new places and things like that.”

“It’s my love for the game and my desire to get better and be the best person I can be for myself and my teammates (that motivates me). You’ve never quite reached your potential, there’s always some way you can keep going and keep improving on. I love the team game of footy. I love the feeling of tackling someone or watching my teammate kick a goal after I’ve given a hands off to them. The exhilaration that you get after a game and spending quality time with good people. You know you have them on your back during a game and knowing that you’ve got teammates around you, I think that’s awesome.”

Toughest opponents, and keeping cool in a crisis

Schaap shares who the toughest opponent she’s faced are, and the strategies she uses to stay calm during a game.

“I’m still learning a lot of AFLW player names. Once I get a few more AFLW games under my belt, I’ll be able to name a few more names,” Schaap said. “I’ve had a few tough opponents over my time. In the NAB League, I always had a good battle with Lilli Condon. We played against each other in the midfield. She’s a type of player who is nifty and similar to my size. She’s always given me a tough go.

“I think it’s important in a game to bring yourself back to the moment. One of my forward coaches has been saying lately is to be like a goldfish, where they have a really short memory. If something in the game where you’ve stuffed up a kick, it’s all right, that’s it, it’s done, you can’t remember that. What’s next? What can I do to and redeem that? It’s about what’s next in front of me. What can I do to make sure my next possession or my next bump or tackle is as good as I can be? I think for me, it’s bringing yourself back to the moment, having some deep breaths and really focusing back.”

Role models, and what footy means to Poppy Schaap

Schaap shares what the sport of football means to her, and the role models that she’s looked up to along the way.

“The sport of football means a lot,” she said. “For the last couple of years, it’s really been my life. I think being able to go out there everyday, being able to enjoy almost every single day and the people that I’ve met, the memories created and experienced I’ve created through football are things that I will remember for the rest of my life, as well as those achievements. I think it’s shaped me as a person and brought out some good characteristics and hard work, which I’ve put into my study and working on and about being a team player and a really good person for other people.”

“I’ve got quite a few role models. I’m a big fan of the short people in sport, even though they’re quite tall compared to me. I’m a big Steph Curry fan, for what he does, even though he’s more undersized to guard. Simone Biles in the gymnastics I think is incredible.

“Looking at the AFL and AFLW, I’ve really enjoyed watching Jaimee Lambert for a few years, Mon Conti, she’s electric with the ball, Courtney Hodder. I watched her game and grand final and for her size and what she can do with the ball. She’s nifty with it and so incredible. In the men’s, my favourite player for the Western Bulldogs is Caleb Daniel and that’s why I chose the number 35. I think I’ve always sort of watched it, how he’s undersized, what he can do with the ball and what he brings to his team, despite his size and challenges he faced is incredible.

Lastly, Schaap shares her wisdom to any upcoming footballers wanting to improve their game.

“I would tell them to focus on their strengths,” she said. “It’s really important to build your strengths up to the best they can be because if you bring those to the team, it’s going to help you out so much. Go find your coach, go find a teammate, talk to them about it and what you want to do, how you want to get better. If it means doing a few extras before or after training, it’s going to help you out so much.

“The other thing is to watch a lot of footy, not just watch it as a spectator, put on your analyst brain and watch how some of your favourite players move, what they do with the ball, where they run when they don’t have the ball. It you can sort of develop your footy IQ along the way that’s going to start to create a different point between you and other players and  you can read the game and open it up a bit more.

“Keep finding reasons that you love footy and keep reminding yourself of those when you find it tough, don’t want to go on or think ‘this is too hard, I’m not going to improve.’ Remember why you’re doing footy, remember your  mates that you’re doing it with and why you enjoy it and that’ll drive you to want to be better and keep pushing.

“It’s about keeping persistent with things that you might find challenge, get those extras in with coaches and look for support. Use your coaches, staff members, teammates, anyone that you think might have knowledge about something and it’s good to ask questions. There’s no such thing as a silly question in sport. If you can get as much out from other people that you have knowledge about the game, it’ll make you better for it.”