Western Jets’ Charlie O’Connor Moreira thought her AFLW draft chances were over when she got injured at a training session earlier this year.
The injury had her in a moon boot for a few weeks and out of football for another two or three on top of that.
O’Connor Moreira returned through the Victorian Amateur Football Association with Williamstown CYMS before making her way back into the Jets side.
Some strong form saw her rewarded with a late call up to the AFLW state combine and she’s now among the hopefuls wanting to hear her name called out on 15 December in the AFLW draft.
“It’s very nerve wracking,” O’Connor Moreira said in the lead up to the draft.
“I’m pretty grateful to be able to experience it this year.
“My ultimate goal is to get drafted and after what happened at the start of the year I didn’t think it was going to happen.
“Whatever happens on draft night happens.”
O’Connor Moreira landed funny in training resulting in a grade two ankle sprain and set back her season.
While she couldn’t fully train, she was keen to stay involved with the Jets.
“I was trying to get back to footy with rehab and I was able to get that social contact at training,” she said.
“I could do the upper body in the gym. I was able to see the physios to get tasks to build my ankle strength.”
Once fit, O’Connor Moreira came back through the reserves at the CYs before stepping into the senior side in May for her senior debut.
She had joined the club in the off season after Point Cook, where she had been playing, didn’t have the numbers for the side.
She has also played juniors for Altona.
“I was pumped to get out there,” she said. “There was a lot of work to get out there.
“I really enjoyed the reserves and then had four or five games in the seniors.
“It was good to experience that level of footy. The girls were more skilled and helped me come back from injury.”
O’Connor Moreira worked her way back into the Jets and found her groove.
She said she was happy with how her season panned out.
O’Connor Moreira also cemented her spot in a new position, playing on the wing.
“I was able to use my speed,” she said. “I loved playing forward and kicking goals, but at the Jets I’ve been able to learn how to play on the wing.
“I like playing on the wing more.”
O’Connor Moreira ended up being a late invitee to the AFLW draft state combine which she said was unexpected.
It gave her the opportunity to speak with AFLW clubs.
“I had a couple of clubs talk to me and them watching me it was pretty daunting,” she said.
“I did my best, which was good.”
O’Connor Moreira was able to take her mind off the draft with a trip to Queensland for Schoolies.
While being drafted is the plan, she has a back up plan for next year.
“I did some training with North Melbourne VFLW [Victorian Football League Women’s] and they have offered me a contract,” she said.
“It’s pretty exciting. They’ve won a couple of premierships,”
