Monique Conti is the spark the Western Bulldogs need to win the AFLW Grand Final
MONIQUE Conti will play in her second grand final in two months in the AFLW decider and after falling short in the WNBL finale she hopes Saturday’s result will be different for her Western Bulldogs.
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LIVEWIRE Bulldogs forward Monique Conti has been given a licence to thrill in Saturday’s AFLW Grand Final.
To run, baulk, and hopefully sneak a goal or two.
“Obviously go, within reason,” the lively Conti said this week, laughing.
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“Just to back myself. I wasn’t really doing that at the start (of the season). Not lacking confidence, I just didn’t have it yet.
“Just back myself and my skill and things will happen.”
At the start of the AFLW season Conti was still in basketball mode after juggling a WNBL Grand Final-making season with the Melbourne Boomers and her first football pre-season.
The 18-year-old didn’t do much footy training at all prior to the season so has been building with every game.
Conti has played on a wing but has been most damaging as a forward where she is able to find space and run with the ball, delivering beyond the immediate contest.
She’s an impact player and since choosing Conti with the Bulldogs’ second pick at last year’s draft, coach Paul Groves hasn’t been disappointed.
“I really rate (Collingwood’s) Chloe (Molloy); I’m probably pretty biased, but I think Mon’s the rising star of the comp,” Groves said.
Conti certainly is the spark that could ignite the Bulldogs on Saturday.
“Being out there and knowing that your teammates back you and you back everyone else, I think that really helps and I think that’s why I’ve got a little bit better each week,” she said.
“I was really nervous coming in off the basketball season and not being able to do all the pre-season for footy. But as the weeks went on I sort of grew in confidence.
“I think it’s handy being able to try to use my agility in and out of packs, and speed as much as I can, and even my marking’s surprised me as well.”
When she arrived at Whitten Oval, she sensed the club was on to something
“I did know we were quite a skilled team and disciplined as well, and we’ve shown that out on the field,” she said.
“I had a lot of confidence in us. It’s hard to tell in the first couple of games where you’re going to end up, but as the weeks went on, you sort of realised, ‘Wow, we’ve got a great team here and as long as we keep doing what we’re doing we’ll make it to the big dance’.”
Conti is somewhat of a grand final specialist having played for the Boomers against Townsville in the WNBL decider on January 21.
But she hopes it’ll be a different result on Saturday.
“I can’t wait,” she said.
“It’s going to be tough, but hopefully I get to win one out of two.”
Originally published as Monique Conti is the spark the Western Bulldogs need to win the AFLW Grand Final
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