Below we share conversations with the captains of the Melbourne and Brisbane teams that played the AFLW grand final, interviewed and originally published in the days before the game. You can read more on the Grand Final and Melbourne Demons’ ultimate victory, here.
After 10 exhilarating weeks, the 2022 AFLW season will draw to a nail-biting close this Sunday afternoon with the Brisbane Lions on home turf taking on the Melbourne Demons at Brighton Homes Arena.
But despite the nerves experienced widely by fans of the game, both teams’ captains remain calm and collected.
Breanna Koenen has played a key role in the defensive success of the Lions this season and says her preparation MO, and that of the team, is just to stay “stable” ahead of Sunday’s decider.
“Obviously, it’s been working for us this year, so just to keep everything as stable as possible coming into a big game like this is really important”, she says.
The Lions will go into Sunday as slim favourites but Melbourne are hot on their heels with a near clear sweep of wins this season.
Demons’ captain Daisy Pearce echoes her rival’s approach to preparation with a “business as usual” attitude.
“There’s a training Thursday night, then we fly up on Saturday, and we’ll have a light run at the ground on Saturday,” she explains. “It’s just continuing to try and chip away at our game.”
But for Pearce, there’s momentum building, as she suggests the team is still evolving into their best form.
“It’s a bit of funny formatting in women’s football”, she says. “Like a 10-week season… you sort of don’t land at this point having felt like you’re rolling out your best footy and you’re well-established. It takes you a little while to find your feet in a competition, especially when it’s always evolving as quickly as it is in AFLW”.
“We just feel like we’re still trying to master the way we play and continue to get better every week,” she adds.
Pearce shrugs off the notion of added pressure, with commentators speculating about her future in AFLW after Sunday. The 34-year-old star has had one of the most illustrious careers in the game but is yet to win a big one.
“I do feel thankful to have touched so many people and to feel that sentiment from everyone out there, that they would love me to win one, but I’m very pragmatic and know that it doesn’t really count so much once the ball gets thrown up in the air”, she says.
“The picture is kind of painted as this being about my legacy and capping off my career and all of those things,” notes Pearce, but adds that this reflects “the external narrative” only.
Having already confirmed she’ll be joining Geelong as part of the women’s coaching acceleration program when she chooses to hang up her boots, Pearce says that her focus sits squarely on the whole team effort rather than perceived personal gain.
“I’m helped by having a team that is very grounding, and a team that has worked just as hard as I have to get this opportunity as well. I’m sort of running out there wanting to win something for this club and this team and all the people that have put in just as much work as I have,” she says. “I’m as driven and motivated by winning one for them, as I’m sure anyone in our club is about winning one for me.”
When Pearce does reflect on her career and the game’s evolution however, she recounts “moments where I stop and sort of acknowledge just how far it’s come” and the mild envy of seeing young players who are just starting out.
“I’m a bit envious of the 18-year-olds in our team because their careers are starting out now, and I just can’t wait to see what the game looks like in say fifteen years when some of them will still be playing at my age,” says Pearce, who started her professional career at 28.
“To think that they get another fifteen years of training with resources, and becoming the best athletes and football players they can be, I kind of feel a little bit jealous that I didn’t get to start mine out as an 18-year-old”.
But she also shares her gratitude at seeing what’s unfolded in the time she’s been playing– describing it as a “beautiful era where we’ve seen it go from grassroots to getting bigger and better every year.”
“It’s pretty unique to have been able to see and play in both of those times.”
At 27, Koenen has also seen the game evolve considerably.
“Anybody has an opportunity to play in the elite levels now,” she says. “I think it’s pretty special that we get to pave the way for other women in sport because people behind us get to be excited and aspire to chase their dreams and whatever they want to do.”
Like Pearce, Koenen credits her team as the greatest inspiration behind her own success.
“I obviously rose off them”, she says. “If I didn’t have them around me, I don’t know… It would be harder to look forward every week and train as hard as we do. The girls around me at the club, and the staff here are just amazing and they’re so supportive,” she says.
But while both captains exude quiet confidence in their teams’ chances, both Koenen and Pearce acknowledge the challenge ahead.
Koenen describes the Melbourne outfit as “one of the best” while Pearce praises Brisbane’s “ability to win the ball and then get to the next contest” as “elite.”
The thing that will help both sides bring it home? An “absolutely electric” crowd says Koenen.
“No matter what, it’s the grand final. So, I just want them to be loud and proud and hopefully, get a few more clients to Sanderson”.
Pearce backs the “very passionate and loyal Melbourne supporters, screaming loudly, making up with quality rather than quantity.”
“It’s just great to have that support. It means a lot to us as players to have people turning up to watch us compete.”
Tune in this Sunday afternoon to watch the Brisbane Lions take on the Melbourne Demons at Brighton Homes Arena. Watch it live at 1:40pm AEST. Click here for more information on where to stream.