Western Bulldogs midfield star Emma Kearney was told at the age of 12 that she had no future in football as a player, but that all changed with the arrival of the AFL Women’s competition last year.
Kearney is now a premiership player and is the best female player in the game after winning the league’s coveted best-and-fairest medal at The W Awards last Tuesday night.
“Certainly growing up, I loved footy, but there was only males on TV,” Kearney said.
“My two brothers and I would always be kicking the footy and I guess I was really disappointed I couldn’t play AFL footy.
“Like most 12-year-olds, you crack it for about five minutes and then you get over it.”
Kearney is a pioneer of the AFLW.
The 28-year-old is paving the way for future generations of girls to play the game at the highest level.
She is now working at AFL headquarters, but last year she was teaching.
It was in her time as a teacher and a junior football coach that Kearney realised how much of an impact she and the rest of the AFLW players were having on the next generation.
“I coach an under-12 girls team and the excitement they get from AFLW is incredible,” Kearney said.
“Last year when I was a teacher, every Monday morning I’d rock up and be really tired from the game and there’d be about three or four girls standing by my office waiting to talk to me about my game and said that they’d watched me on TV.
“That’s really inspiring and it’s super great that there’s so many female role models out there these days.”
Kearney is the full package on and off the field. Away from the heat of battle, she is developing coaching programs for future generations of coaches.
Even though she plays with Melbourne University in the VFL Women’s, she still finds the time to coach juniors.
A dual sports star, Kearney also plays for Melbourne Stars in the Women’s Big Bash League.
You have to wonder when she gets a bit of down time.
“It has its challenges, but there are so many other people out in the world that are either single parents or working three or four jobs to survive in this world and they’re able to do it, so you suck it up and you do it,” she said.
“I’m just so lucky to be able to play both sports.”
Kearney’s on-field impact in the Bulldogs AFLW premiership win was unmatched.
The onballer was the leading disposal winner in the league with 20 per game and finished first in metres gained, second in clearances, fifth in contested possessions and top 10 in tackles, which earned her All Australian honours for a second year running.
Kearney won the count with 14 votes, ahead of Dana Hooker (Fremantle), Chloe Molloy (Collingwood) and Courtney Gum (GWS Giants), who each had nine votes.
Backing up from clinching the Bulldogs’ first premiership, it was a dream week for Kearney.
“It has been a great week,” she said.
“Obviously Saturday was an amazing feeling.
“To celebrate the win with the Bulldogs girls was incredible.”
