West Coast Eagles AFLW players Jessica Sedunary and Aisling McCarthy took the time to head out to the Goldfields to train alongside and help inspire girls in the region as a part of the AFLW Talent Search Days.
During their time in Kalgoorlie-Boulder and Kambalda, the pair and AFLW assistant coach Rohan McHugh visited several schools in the area as a part of a role model visit which included a full female football academy day supported by MLG.
Working with the West Coast community team, defender Sedunary believes that regional development is a crucial pillar for the club, not only to unearth potential new talent for the AFLW team but to also improve the wellbeing of young people across the state.
“It’s been great to get out to different corners of Western Australia and see so many girls playing the game,” Sedunary said.
“There’s a lot of female talent out here so it’s important we can give them enough opportunities to excel if they want to choose the path to becoming an AFLW player.
“I’m always eager to teach aspects of being an elite athlete that are sometimes off the field - whether it is injury prevention, nutrition or mindfulness - they are all ways for young people to maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle whether they play footy or not.”
McHugh also staged a coach education course for current and upcoming coaches of female football teams in the area.
West Coast Eagles Goldfields community co-ordinator Gabby Moran was a key driver of all the programs, and said the trip was a huge success and laid a good foundation to increase the club’s presence in the region.
“We engaged with around 620 participants in the area while we were there, which was hugely effective,” Moran told westcoasteagles.com.au
“We had our head of recruitment Chad Morrison come out to identify talent in the region as well and we had several players identified for having a strong amount of potential.
“Not only do these trips give girls an idea what AFLW teams are looking for we also see a direct increase in their wellbeing and happiness after we conclude the clinics, which we feel has a positive roll-on effect in the local community.”
One key aspect of the regional tour was to introduce the SOAR presentation to participants which covered topics on nutrition, elite performance and injury prevention following the clinic.
“The SOAR program focusses on everything an elite athlete does off the field including pre- and post-training care and nutrition,” Moran said.
“We had a huge focus on ACL Injuries for our female athletes and discussed the fact that women can be more susceptible to these injuries and there are certain processes athletes can follow to reduce the risk.
“Jess, Aisling and Rohan were invaluable on the trip, their expertise and the way they engaged with the participants was incredible.
“The presence of AFLW players and coaches really show these girls there are good role models to look up to and it provides them an opportunity to follow the same path and pursue AFLW football.”
