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AFLW and the importance of evolution

The Brisbane Lions have been denied a 'home' game for the inaugural AFLW grand final. (AAP Image/Dan Peled)
Roar Rookie
23rd March, 2017
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We are now coming to the completion of the first season of AFLW and despite reservations that the skill level of the women could be a turn off to the casual fan or that the talent pool would be spread too thin, the inaugural season has been an overwhelming success.

Certainly the execution of skills hasn’t been refined to the same level as the men’s game. But it also hasn’t received the same level of investment or have the benefit of 150 years of history behind it. It is a fresh product and it already evolving.

Watching Tayla Harris clunk a pack mark, Daisy Pearce wrest the momentum of a game in the midfield or Erin Phillips burst from congestion highlighted the talent that the best players in the AFLW have.

As the women’s game continues to grow, with further investment from the AFL, the skill of the average player will increase exponentially – that is a given.

You already can see the stars of the present and the future developing before our eyes. That’s one of the exciting parts, to watch this growth from it’s earliest stages.

Another aspect that makes the AFLW so special are the stories of sacrifice and persistence of the women who have now made it to the top of their field. The coverage of both Fox and Channel Seven has done a fantastic job of telling these stories to the casual fan each week.

In an age where the best junior male footballers are, mostly, scouted young before following a carefully laid out path through to the AFL, the story of persistence that every single AFLW player has, is refreshing and a throwback to a semi-pro era of the AFL where John Worsfold was your local pharmacist and Kevin Sheedy your plumber.

But as great as it is to see some of the older female stalwarts of aussie rules now being able to play at the highest level, young stars like Eb Marinoff, Tayla Harris and Ellie Blackburn are the future of AFLW.

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With a few more years of exposure to high class facilities, club resources and the experience of playing in front of larger crowds, they’ll take the competition to another level. Along with the continuous intake of young girls who will eventually have played Aussie rules their whole lives without interruption or obstacle.

For the naysayers, if you are so certain that the competition will eventually fail then perhaps sit back and let nature take it’s course. Why attack something you’re certain won’t be relevant in the future? It just reeks of insecurity, especially when the joy in the crowd and on the field is so evident.

The AFLW season has been a groundbreaking year for Aussie rules and sports in general in this country. I’m excited for what it has delivered already and even more excited for what it could deliver in the years to come.

For what it’s worth, I reckon the Brisbane will triumph over Adelaide in a tightly fought, final quarter nailbaiter in the grand final – Tayla Harris and Kaitlyn Ashmore to star.

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