The rise of AFLW has come as no surprise to local girl and Melbourne Demons women’s defender Shelley Heath.
Shelly was picked up at pick 44 in the 2018 AFLW Draft and has since played 28 games for the Demons since making her debut against the Western Bulldogs in 2019.
The girl from the Mornington Peninsula was awarded the Trademark Player award for her tough, resilient, team-first football at Melbourne’s awards day on Monday.
Heath represented the Dandenong Stingrays, as well as playing her part for the Casey Demons.
The defender also featured in this year’s AFLW grand final against the Adelaide Crows.
Unfortunately for Heath and her Demons, they lost 4.5 (29) to 2.4 (16).
“We went out there and did everything we could possibly do,” Heath said.
“Adelaide were the better team on the day, so there was little moment were we could go back and do something different.”
The Demons are captained by AFLW trailblazer Daisy Pierce, who has been the main face of the league.
“She’s like an on-field coach,” Heath said.
“She has the same values (as us), if you ever have something or do something, she will tell you to do this.
“She’s the reason so many girls stay for so long, she’s the reason we are in this position, she’s one of the best if not the best leader out there.”
Heath started her journey at (age) 15, after being seeing her brother play.
“I use to watch my brother play, and he enjoyed the game so much,” she said.
“Once I started it was just what I knew I wanted to do, and get to the highest level possible.”
Shelley was drafted in 2018 and was unaware she had actually been selected by Melbourne.
“I didn’t have great hopes to get drafted,” she said.
“Some of the girls I had spoken to had been spoken to by a number of clubs, so I didn’t end up watching I was hanging out with my friends.
“I got a call and they told me I had been drafted and I was in shock.
“I had worked so hard to get there and I was so excited to get there, I was more excited to share all of that with my friends who had supported me throughout the journey.”
The AFLW is set to expand to an 18 team competition next season.
“It will exciting to see 18 teams in the competition , we will eventually get to a point where we can play all teams once including a finals series,” Heath explained.
“It will be the fairest way to see who the best team is, like in the men’s.
“Everyone can build to getting better and better.”
Heath has been inspired by the rise of women’s sport in Australia, including the women’s cricket team who recently won the cricket One Day International World Cup.
“It’s great to see women get the recognition,” she said.
“Most of the women who play professional sport, we also have part-time jobs, so when they compare us to men it’s a bit unfair.
“They have to see the game as a different type of game and we play it as well as we can.
“The women’s cricket this year has been outstanding; the women’s soccer is just getting better and better… hopefully AFLW can get as much recognition as those sports soon.”
The league has been criticised for scheduling the season during summer.
As a result, a shift has been made to-reschedule the season to an August start date.
“The cooler months will suit a lot more girls,” Heath said.
“Hopefully it will be more high-scoring, because playing in 40 degree heat doesn’t give you the best performance.”
The quick turnaround means that the girls will only get a six-week off-season before pre season.
“Having a short season means a six week break is all we need, because after about three weeks in, we’re ready to get back out there,” Heath explained.
