Smith hurdling her way to success
TAYLOR Smith quite literally made the jump into footy after dedicating a large portion of her life to heptathlons. Only having played footy for a short amount of time, Smith is still learning all the intricacies of the sport and transitioning away from her previous life of athletics. “I transitioned from athletics – I was […]
Late boomer Ahwang making the most of her switch to Australian rules
COMING from a touch footy and track and field background, Tiarna Ahwang has well and truly found her feet within the Australian rules football system. Despite being a latecomer to footy, Ahwang has not taken a backwards step capitalising on every opportunity that has come her way. “I didn’t start off with AFL, I started […]
Speedy Muir thriving in footy culture
A RELATIVE newcomer to the game, Annie Muir has loved the rapid rise to the AFL Women’s Under-18 Championships. She only first picked up a ball a couple of years ago, and has met all the challenges put to her, to the point she has represented her state at the elite junior level. “My friend […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Eller keeps it simple
QUEENSLAND’S Georgia Eller has reached the elite level of her junior Australian rules football career, but she is intent on keeping it simple – improve and have fun. While the AFL Women’s Draft approaches, Eller has tried not to let it worry her, with her goal on maintaining fun and focus the number one priority. […]
Martin leans on Stanton for football journey
WHEN you are new to a sport such as Australian rules football, you always look to find a mentor who can fast-track your development. When your football coach at your high school is an AFL Women’s player, then it is even better. For Haze-Lee Martin, that was exactly the situation she found herself in when […]
Watson thrives on Aussie rules aggression
ORIGINALLY hailing from the rugby league heartland of Sydney, Serene Watson grew up trying her hand in multiple sporting codes. She was “born and bred” through rugby league, went on to find herself fouled out in her attempts at basketball, but found a true home for her competitive spirit on the football field. It has […]
