The AFL have partnered with Disney+ to give never before seen footage behind the scenes of four AFLW clubs in an exclusive documentary titled ‘Fearless: The Inside Story of the AFLW’.
In this six-part series, viewers are given access to the lives of players across the Western Bulldogs, Collingwood, GWS Giants and the Adelaide Crows, with some of the biggest names in the league opening up on the highs and lows of the rapidly growing competition.
While we are given insight into the world of AFLW athletes, we decided to take a look at the top six most fearless moments of the league’s short history.
The first ever AFLW game
The most prolific moment in the history of the league was the first ever AFLW opening bounce at Ikon Park, for a clash between age old men’s rivals Carlton and Collingwood on February 3, 2017.
Initially planned as a free event at the Olympic Park Oval in Melbourne, the AFL moved the game to Ikon Park after a series of practice matches in the lead up were attracting large crowds.
It was a balmy Melbourne night, which saw more than 20,000 people attend, annihilating the AFL’s predicted attendance of between 5,000 and 10,000.
Spectators lined the aisles and stood along fences but by quarter time, AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan was forced to stand outside the gates and apologise to fans, declaring a lockout of the venue.
It was the largest crowd that season, and a record at the time, for a women-only sporting event in Australia excluding the Olympic or Commonwealth Games.
Collingwood’s Jasmine Garner kicked the first ever AFLW goal, but Carlton’s Darcy Vescio booted four goals and scored 24 points seeing the Blues win 46 to 11.
Daisy Pearce returns to play after giving birth to twins
Current Melbourne skipper and star forward Daisy Pearce returned to training in July 2019, after a season off to give birth to twins Sylvie and Roy in February.
Having since admitted she had doubts about whether she would be able to return to her physical form and play after the pregnancy, Pearce returned in peak form, with partner, Ben, taking a year off his job as a firefighter to help balance the family and footy commitments.
She has captained the club every year except that one, with the three-time best and fairest winner continuing as one of the best players in the competition and named in the 2022 All-Australian team, her third All-Australian selection.
Other players who have given birth and returned to football include West Coast midfielder Dana Hooker, North Melbourne forward/midfielder Sophie Abbatangelo and GWS Giants defender Brid Stack, who we meet with her son, Ogie in ‘Fearless’. Stack’s AFLW career was almost over before it began when she suffered a serious neck injury in 2021. The raw insight into her journey to get back on her feet and overcoming arduous adversity will be spotlighted in the series.
Darcy Vescio announces themselves as non-binary
Carlton star Darcy Vescio announced last December that they identify as non-binary, and as one of the biggest players in the game has helped to champion the overarching inclusive culture which is laced throughout the AFLW.
Vescio posted to their 35,000 followers on Instagram to make the announcement.
“Just popping in to let you know that I am non-binary,” they stated.
“Sharing this feels a bit daunting but brings me a lot of warmth and happiness.
“I am most comfortable with they/them pronouns and will always respond to Darcy unless in trouble.”
Having told their partner Emily first, Vescio then told friends, family, and their Carlton teammates before making it public, admitting on ‘the imperfects’ podcast this week that some Blues teammates were relieved by the news that it wasn’t a retirement announcement.
They followed Gold Coast’s Tori Groves-Little in coming out publicly as non-binary, with Vescio telling AFL media at the time: “The one message I have is to create space for people. It’s really important to understand the language you use, any assumptions you might make about people and how that can impact how they live their lives.”
The AFL had already updated its gender diversity policy for elite football competitions in 2020, as well as its policy for community football competitions as part of a joint launch by Australia’s leading national sporting organisations and pride in sport.
Tayla Harris hits back at social media trolls
Melbourne superstar Tayla Harris was slammed with relentless social media trolling after a photo of her kicking the ball for her team at the time, Carlton, went viral online.
The then 21-year-old bravely defended herself, saying: “Here’s a pic of me at work… think about this before your derogatory comments, animals”.
The photo was taken by AFL Media senior photographer Michael Willson and saw a furore of vile and sexist comments when reposted by the 7AFL Facebook account, forcing them to take it down and publicly address the issue.
“Recently we published an image of AFLW player Tayla Harris. The original purpose in publishing the image was to celebrate the power, athleticism and skills on show in Carlton’s thrilling win over the Western Bulldogs,” they said.
“The image attracted a number of comments, some of which were inappropriate and offensive. As a consequence, we have removed the image and the comments.”
The saga inspired female athletes far and wide to throw their support behind Harris, with many tweeting the photo themselves and calling out the misogyny.
Erin Phillips ruptured her ACL in the Grand Final and still won best on ground
Current Port Adelaide skipper and former Adelaide Crow Erin Phillips had one of the most memorable performances in AFLW history when she won her second AFLW Grand Final best-on-ground medal in 2019, despite tearing her left ACL in the third quarter.
The Crows seized victory over the Blues by 45 points at Adelaide Oval, which saw the former Olympic basketballer accumulate 18 disposals, 10 contested possessions, three marks and two goals before being stretchered off the field. Phillips managed to accept her medal with the help of teammates in front of a then record crowd of 53,034.
The documentary also reveals the heartbreaking emotions of Collingwood co-captain Bri Davey who tore her ACL in Round 1 of season six against Carlton. “It was pretty emotional. Dealing with it at the time, I didn’t even think about the mic on me or the cameras that would be following me around and seeing my reaction,” Davey told ESPN.
The first AFLW game is played at the MCG
AFLW was played at the MCG for the first time in the league’s history just this year, on Saturday, April 2 for a preliminary final between Melbourne and the Brisbane Lions.
The game attracted a crowd of 6,436 and saw the Demons make their way to the Grand Final.
While the MCG had never played host to an AFLW game before, the first women’s exhibition match was played there in 2013, between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs. Melbourne returned to the venue in May 2016 to face Brisbane in another exhibition match.
Since then, it has been announced that AFLW Season 7, beginning this evening, will see the Demons and North Melbourne play at the venue in Round 2 for a double-header with the Melbourne-Sydney AFL men’s qualifying final.
The Round 1 Hawthorn and Essendon game this Saturday has also been moved to Marvel Stadium from the much smaller North Port Oval following an “unprecedented” demand for tickets after they sold out within 24 hours.
A ‘Move it to Marvel’ campaign was launched by both clubs with the AFL subsequently announcing the shift to the larger venue for the August 27 fixture.
With the AFLW at the forefront of celebrating diversity and inclusion and redefining gender norms, the new six-part documentary will explore the journey, sacrifice and history in the making, as the trailblazing women of the AFLW pave the way in professional sport and help change the sporting and cultural psyche of Australia.
The series launched on Disney+ on August 24, and you can stream every episode here.
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