{"id":207672,"date":"2025-12-16T12:58:57","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T02:58:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/?p=207672"},"modified":"2025-12-16T12:58:58","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T02:58:58","slug":"pick-one-nod-means-the-world-to-wolmarans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2025\/12\/16\/pick-one-nod-means-the-world-to-wolmarans\/","title":{"rendered":"Pick one nod “means the world” to Wolmarans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NEW TIGER Olivia Wolmarans<\/a> made history on Monday night, becoming the first West Australian to be selected with pick one of the AFLW Draft. The enigmatic key forward didn’t give much away, but told media at the event she “had a feeling” she would end up at Tigerland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

>> EVERY PICK:<\/strong> 2025 AFLW Draft<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wolmarans spent the day keeping her mind off what was to come, having fun with family around what will become her new hometown. The 18-year-old is already enamoured by what Melbourne has to offer, and is eager to get acclimatised as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I’m so keen to move to Melbourne, I’ve always loved Melbourne,” Wolmarans said. “Coming here through footy, I did little athletics and came here for nationals, so I’ve always been [coming to] Melbourne and it’s amazing to move to this wonderful [city].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I want to move as soon as I can. I want to get used to this environment. It’s very different to Perth so I just want to get straight into it and get used to Melbourne.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gravity of having her name called out with pick one wasn’t lost on the Subiaco product, although she acknowledges the work has only just begun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It means the world to me. But now I’m on a list, so I’m back on zero and obviously the girls at the club are way better than me and experienced,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Having conversations with [Richmond], they already backed me in and I could see they believed in me as a player so I’m now going to give it back to them, show them how much I can improve their team and bring them to the top again.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Olivia Wolmarans poses with Kiera Yerbury and Scarlett Johnson | Image Credit: Rookie Me Central<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After a disappointing season on-field, Tigers fans can look forward to plenty of entertainment from their club’s boom recruit. While “laid back” by her own assessment, Wolmarans believes she has the “energy” to help deliver Richmond premiership success in her own unique style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I play my own game. I don’t think I really play like anyone. I look for attributes from players but I think I play my own game,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I think I’m always going to have that cheeky grin of mine. I’m pretty laid back, you’re going to see me move across the ball with my speed and also taking contested marks.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wolmarans also reflected on the journey thus far, and how she can provide a role model for budding footballers in Western Australia, which she sometimes lacked before the AFLW was introduced in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Growing up there was never female AFL role models for me because there was never AFLW. Going through a boys program I always had to look at men and their attributes,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I think being a role model for young girls and boys is just amazing and seeing little boys and girls yell out my name will mean everything to me… I’m very proud of myself and hopefully I can be an inspiration to the other girls in WA that this is possible and that they can do it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch the full interview with Wolmarans in the player below.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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