The revolution that is women’s football has been soaring for a few years now. And evidence of the juggernaut was more than obvious at a West Coast Eagles super clinic in Mandurah this week.

The prevalence of so many young girls wearing their Eagles kit at an after-school clinic at Merlin Reserve on Wednesday as part of a community camp was quite remarkable.

Girls and boys were spread around the ground where different stations were being controlled by both AFL and AFLW players, something that simply has not happened on this scale previously.

In the three years that the club has had a team in the AFLW competition, the club has had to combat the pandemic. Not only has that impacted the capacity of the team to perform at its optimum, it has also stymied the connection with the next generation of female talent.

And on Wednesday at the first opportunity to connect with girls harbouring dreams of playing at the highest level the response was significant.

There were many stars of the AFL program with Shannon Hurn, Jamie Cripps, Oscar Allen, Jack Darling and Andrew Gaff among the players engaging with the children, who appeared to range from six to 12-year-olds.

But the presence of Ash McCarthy, the hard working Irish midfielder who plays for the club’s AFLW team, provided young girls with to the opportunity to get up close and personal with a real life role model.

McCarthy and her teammates are not just playing the game, they are pioneers.

Captain Emma Swanson and Dana Hooker have been the face of the team in the first few seasons and now the likes of Bella Lewis, Ella Roberts, Sarah, Lakay, Charlie Thomas and McCarthy have joined the party as they inspire the next generation. 

The Eagles ‘W’ team is young and evolving, just like the girls at the clinic. It’s a good time get excited as the club starts a slow build towards its fifth season in the competition later in the year.