VFLW weekly wrap: Finals Week 2 – Bulldogs earn 2019 Grand Final spot
THE Western Bulldogs progressed through to the 2019 Victorian Football League (VFL) Women’s Grand Final with a hard fought win over ladder leaders Collingwood, forcing the Pies to a preliminary final against the Southern Saints who claimed a 17-point victory over Melbourne Uni. The loss marks the end of the road for the Mugars, while […]
Pearce takes home Lambert-Pearce Medal
DAREBIN Falcons’ ruck Lauren Pearce has claimed the 2019 Lambert-Pearce Medal for the Swisse Wellness VFL Women’s best and fairest player at the competition’s awards night last night. The 26-year-old had a stellar season despite her side being unable to register many wins. The Melbourne AFLW-listed player became the third Darebin player to win the […]
Family support inspires Zanker-Close to footy pathway
HAVING so many footballers in the family certainly helps. It is even more beneficial when one family member has reached the elite level of AFL Women’s football. For Queensland AFL Women’s Under-18 representative, Emmii-Lee Zanker-Close, she has been surrounded by footballers and always seemed destined to cross into the sport from her chosen code of […]
From junior permit to SANFL, Emma Smith has done it all
THE journey for Emma Smith has had no shortage of ups and downs, with the youngster forced to jump through hoops. But that did not deter her from playing the game she loves. “I love the game and the camaraderie that everyone else has outside thinking that women’s sport in general and in footy is […]
Miskin-Ripia developing on and off the field
FOR Northern Territory (NT) prospect Shantel Miskin-Ripia, her football journey is as much about past experience and future endeavours as it is about the now, playing with NT Thunder in the Victorian Football League Women’s (VFLW) and gearing up for the 2019 draft. Like many others the full-back said the ultimate goal is to get […]
VFLW Preview: Finals Week 2 – Minor premiers look to go one-up
IT is semi-finals week in the VFL Women’s, with Collingwood taking on Western Bulldogs and Southern Saints playing Melbourne Uni. Though these sides now make up the final four for the competition, Collingwood defeated Western Bulldogs convincingly back in Round 7, winning by a whopping 74 points while Southern Saints were similarly dominant in their […]
Hickie dives into football pathway
MANY AFL Women’s Under-18 Championships players have played other sports at some point in their life before ultimately choosing Australian rules football. But for Tahlia Hickie, she had a few less talked about individual sports, partaking in gymnastics and diving, and then getting involved in Oztag which proved to be a transition sport into her […]
Injury leads Moore to the footy field
QUEENSLAND’S Hayley Moore had a different start to her Aussie Rules career, eventually finding her way to the sport after a brief stint at netball. “I was playing netball and then girls from school that were in my netball academy started to play AFL. One time the team just needed an extra player and they […]
Code-crosser Garnett grateful for the journey
TWO years was all it took for Georgia Garnett to be recognised on football’s national stage. Growing up in the rugby league heartland of Western Sydney, Garnett was naturally taken in and down the rugby path through Oztag and touch footy. But when her footballing father took her out for a kick of the oblong […]
Wide-eyed Newton guns for draft
IT has been a mammoth year for Gabby Newton. Captain of the premiership winning Northern Knights team, a key player in Vic Metro’s undefeated national carnival run, and now a welcome addition to Carlton’s VFLW squad – all while juggling school commitments and national basketball representation. Even still, the potential high draft selection remains humble […]