As a bronze is unveiled of Carlton footballer Tayla Harris mid-kick, people are asking: who else deserves a statue? Erin Phillips’ name is standing out in that discussion
There are currently nine sporting statues dotted in and around Adelaide Oval. Not one is of a female athlete. And a strong case is mounting that a footballer like Erin Phillips deserves one.
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It was the kick that united a nation against online trolls. But when a statue commemorating the kick was unveiled in Melbourne’s Federation Square on Wednesday, it quickly divided social media.
An impressive 3.3m bronze statue has replicated the now famous mid-air kick of Carlton AFLW footballer Tayla Harris.
The original image of Harris’s kick was taken by photographer Michael Willson and when it was first published in March, it attracted the attention of online trolls, who were then met by an even greater backlash against them.
The outpouring of support in the wake of that photo was not just for Harris, but for all female footballers.
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The statue has been commissioned by the AFLW’s major sponsor, NAB, and the bank’s chief customer experience officer Rachel Slade told The Advertiser that the organisation wanted to show its support for Harris and the strong women who play in the competition.
“Bronze statues typically commemorate the greatness of an individual,” Slade said.
“This statue symbolises the potential of a generation.”
But not all social media users agreed and such was the online chatter that by yesterday afternoon “Erin Phillips” was a trending topic on Twitter in Adelaide, with users essentially asking: “Why make a statue of Tayla Harris, when there’s a GOAT called Erin Phillips?”.
This is a good point, but not for the obvious reason: What the Harris statue has actually done is highlight that women are conspicuously inconspicuous when it comes to sporting statues across the country.
There are 16 statues of sporting greats at the MCG. Only two are women.
There are currently nine statues dotted in and around Adelaide Oval, from cricketers Sir Donald Bradman and Jason Gillespie to footballers Malcolm Blight and Russell Ebert.
There are no women. None.
Enter Erin Phillips: Two-time AFLW best and fairest. Two-time premiership co-captain. Two-time premiership best on ground medallist. Two-time All-Australian. Two-time Crows club champion … the accolades continue and don’t even list her successes on the basketball court.
Quite frankly, there’s no question that Phillips will one day be honoured by the league — and wider community — that loves her so much.
Whether that’s with her name replacing “Riverbank Stand” at Adelaide Oval, or through a bronzed statue standing outside the ground. Or whether the AFLW’s best and fairest medal is named in her honour.
Or … how good would a bronzed statue be of Erin Phillips standing side-by-side with her co-captain Chelsea Randall? Two pioneering women with one statue!
It’s been a remarkable 12 months for women’s football. Female participation continues to surge as the AFLW expands from 10 to 14 teams.
The Harris photo was just one in a long list of memorable moments in the 2019 AFLW season (that culminated in the staggering, record-breaking 53,034 crowd that packed Adelaide Oval to watch the Crows beat Harris’s Blues in the grand final on March 31).
But what was particularly special about the Harris/photo moment was that it didn’t stop a single woman taking to the footy field: instead, it galvanised the country in its support of women athletes.
It was a moment that allowed Harris — and all female footballers — to shine and it provided a necessary touchstone to further important discussions about harassment and bullying.
That’s what the Harris statue stands for: Not the individual footballer, but the movement.
And that’s precisely what an Erin Phillips statue outside Adelaide Oval would stand for too.