Dual All-Australian McKinnon determined to reach the elite level
SOUTH Australia-born Montana McKinnon has plenty to be happy about in her sporting career so far, only 18-years-old but playing in representative teams from a young age. Like many other young Aussies, McKinnon started her footy journey as a five-year-old in Auskick before making the switch to netball at a young age. “I started when […]
Versatility the key for Xenos
LIKE many other female footballers her age, Nicola Xenos did not have the typical football upbringing. The Oakleigh Chargers player came through the ranks after starting school footy, having wanted to play from a young age. “I started my footy journey when I was about 11 years old and it was just with the team […]
O’Grady overcomes ankle injury to push into state team
QUEENSLANDER Sara-Jane O’Grady is both honoured and humbled to don the maroon jumper, finally taking her chance to star on the big stage after being sidelined with an ankle injury early on in her footy journey. “It’s a great opportunity, there’s a lot of talented girls in the AFL and Queensland but not all get […]
Fast learner Munyard takes success in her stride
BACK-to-back South Australian National Football League (SANFL) Women’s premiership player Hannah Munyard has had quite the rise over the past two years. It is hard to believe that barring a very short stint as a child, Munyard had only really taken football seriously in her later teen years. “I started football about two years ago,” […]
Sunny future for speedster Whap-Farrar
WHEN Gold Coast SUNS announced a trio of Under-18 players as pre-signings ahead of next year’s AFL Women’s competition, they covered all bases. With Charlotte Hammans covering the defence and Ellie Hampson being the inside bull, it was the third signing of Kitara Whap-Farrar that added the extra pace and X-factor on the outside. The […]
Fast improving Knight doing things differently
FOR most top-agers, the prospect of juggling their final year of school with elite level representative football is a difficult reality. Not for Nell Morris-Dalton, whose journey to this point has been a touch less orthodox than some. The Northern Knights and Darebin Falcons forward is a step ahead of the competition, currently in her […]
Starting from scratch no problem for Heslop
PLENTY of AFL Women’s draft hopefuls move to further their Australian rules football career, but not too many do so unknowingly, which is what makes the story of Queensland’s Dee Heslop so unique. The versatile utility hails from New Zealand, with the Kiwi having no idea what the rules were when she first started, having […]
Serena Gibbs swaps the netball for a chance at AFL Women’s
LIKE many junior women’s footballers, Serena Gibbs made the cross over from another sport ahead of her debut in the NAB League. It was a vastly different pathway to success for Gibbs however, joining Eastern Ranges with very little football experience to her name after playing netball all through her junior years and only really […]
Versatile Clarke leads from the front
THE rise of Australian rules football in the Northern Territory won over former soccer player Bella Clarke, to the point where the versatile tall co-captained Northern Territory at the AFL Women’s Under-18 Championships. Clarke initially joined the sport because of her family driving her to pick up the oblong-shaped ball, but she stayed because of […]
Competitive Hampson shines on the Gold Coast
WHEN you are a pre-listed AFL Women’s player heading into the Under-18 Championships mid-year, there are a lot of eyes watching to see just what spectators can expect next year at the elite level. For Gold Coast SUNS’ signing Ellie Hampson, she not only ticked the boxes expected of her, but she went above and […]
