Lismore Swans prodigy Holly Wall, 16, is chasing her dreams

A 16-year-old Lismore Swans player is kicking goals well beyond her years as she aims to break into the AFLW. Here’s her story.

Casino based AFLW prodigy Holly Wall hasn’t let Covid stop her from taking the next steps to realise her dreams.

Inspired by her dad, the 16 year-old Casino product has already seeded a strong reputation as a player to watch.

“My dad played for Casino Lions for a couple of years and just loved the game so I really wanted to play so I started up last year,” she said.

Ms Wall played with the Casino Lions for a few months as a 10 year-old and in their mixed teams before being accepted with an age exemption into the Lismore Swans for her first senior season last year.

Then teammate and president Laura Mitchell spotted Holly’s talent, quickly promoting her to the Gold Coast Sun’s development academy.

“They invited me up and I did a training session with them,” Holly said.

The young midfielder trained with the U16s as part of the Northern Rivers Hub, along with two QLD hubs in a three hub development program which was to culminate in the academy championships carnival.

Holly’s mum Rachel Wall said the Suns were pleased with her daughter’s performance.

“The three hubs were to come together and play the academy championships at Metricon stadium but due to the border closure the Northern Rivers hub couldn’t get across,” Mrs Wall said.

“So she missed that opportunity for potential selection in the U17s High Performance squad which is invite only.”

Disappointed yet unfazed, Ms Wall successfully applied to the North Coast Academy of Sport’s AFL pathway program.

“They try to get the athletes to Coffs Harbour twice a month but with Covid it’s once a month at the moment,” Holly said.

“Mum usually takes me down on the day and then we travel back home that night.”

Th 400km return trip commitment resonates with her NCAS coach Matthew Crawley who said a big part of the program is an athlete’s attitude towards bettering themselves as a player.

“Because our program is an off-season program the athletes don’t just put the footy back in the cupboard,” Mr Crawley said.

“If they want to make something of themselves they need to keep picking up the footy.”

He said the essential skills every AFL player should have are kick, mark, and handball.

“Holly is very athletic, she has picked up the skill-set really fast and she is very fast on the field,” he said.

“We’re looking for committed athletes too and that’s Holly to a tee.”

Mr Crawley said Holly is a “standout” for the Lismore Swans and can deal with players bigger and more experienced than her.

“The fact that she has done some work with the Suns academy means she’s obviously on their radar and now that the borders are open it will be fantastic for her development,” he said.

“If she keeps working hard she is a real chance.”

Belle Wall, 13, said she is “very proud” of how far her older sister has come.

“She’s so inspiring,” Belle said.

She watches her games and wants to follow in her sister’s footsteps.

Mrs Wall said once Holly steps out onto the field she is all about the team.

“She does her best to help them get across the line,” she said.

Holly added that footy is like a second family, she loves the community and she loves playing any position just so long as she’s on the field.

“We were playing Coffs Harbour Breakers at home and we hadn’t kicked a goal and were down probably 30 points and I got an unexpected mark and I just played on and kicked a goal,” she said.

“All the girls came around me and all the crowd was cheering … it was an amazing experience.”