Crows midfielder Jenna McCormick has eyes not only on the AFLW premiership cup, but on making it to the FIFA World Cup too

She’s the cross-coder who expertly juggles two sports at the elite level, and she’s got two “cups” in her sights: the AFLW premiership cup and the FIFA World Cup

• Crows stars: Look how far we’ve come
• Sheer the latest Crow given rising star nod
• City is team to beat as Women’s NPL season kicks off

Crows midfielder Jenna McCormick might have missed selection for the Matilda’s squad for the Cup of Nations, but the cross-coder is refusing to give up her dream of playing for Australia at June’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.

McCormick — who is contracted to both the Brisbane Roar in the W-League and the Crows in the AFLW — decided late last year not to return to Adelaide as originally planned, but instead to play out the season with the Roar, to push her claim for Matilda’s selection.

AFLW ROUND 6 TEAMS HERE

As she watched from her Adelaide home on Wednesday night while the Matildas held aloft the Cup of Nations trophy, she admits it was tinged with disappointment.

“That was the first step that I was aiming for,” she said.

“For me, a big picture goal would be to be at the World Cup later this year.

“I fully accept that I’ve got a slim chance, but I’ve got a chance and I want to take it.

“No matter how big that is, that’s why I stayed a little bit longer with the Brisbane Roar.

“Although I didn’t get a call up for the Cup of Nations tournament, I don’t believe all the doors have closed for me at the moment.”

While the 24-year-old soccer defender waits for more doors to open, she’s integrated herself back into the Crows squad, part of a team that is flying, with two games left before a possible finals berth in a fortnight.

Crow Jenna McCormick (right, wearing headband) tackles Ellie Blackburn of the Western Bulldogs during Adelaide’s round one, one-point loss. Picture: AAP Image/Mark Brake

In last week’s 35-point win over the previously undefeated North Melbourne, McCormick racked up 11 disposals in what was one of her best performances for the Crows this season.

“It was nice to touch the ball a few times, but that’s not the nicest thing for me,” she said.

“The nicest thing was to get the win and seeing some young stars really shine and just being involved in this team.

“It’s a really special group and if we keep up our fundamentals and how we want to play, then hopefully we can have an extended season.”

The third-year player said despite her interrupted football pre-season and missing two Crows games due to her soccer commitments, she felt in better form this year than last, when she was playing soccer for Adelaide United.

“Last year was more challenging than it was this year, to be honest,” she said.

“I was playing soccer and footy in Adelaide and I was here one day, there the next and it really scattered my head in the way that it dropped both my levels of performance significantly, probably because I was training every day for soccer and then footy when I had a day off.

Jenna McCormick in action for the Brisbane Roar earlier this year in the W-League. Picture: AAP Image/Albert Perez

“This year, I was away in Brisbane and even though I didn’t get to be here for as much of pre-season, I was able to focus solely on soccer, which allowed me to perform better.

“I’ve been here for almost a month now full-time, so I’m getting well back into the swing of things, which is nice.”

This Sunday, the Crows (sitting atop Conference A with four wins and one loss) take on GWS (sitting fourth in Conference B with one win and four losses) at Unley Oval.

McCormick said the side wasn’t looking at it as an easy game.

“We need to go into it focusing on what we do best and knowing what we have to bring to get a result,” she said.

“We’ll come prepared, but this is a really good test for us to consistently show that we can play good footy and that we do deserve to be in the finals.

“ (GWS) is good at congested footy, but we’ll know how to combat that.”