AFLW Sydney Swans: Ella Heads goes from Buddy Franklin milestone to creating own history

Ella Heads thought there would never be a moment to eclipse running onto the field with thousands of Sydney Swans fans to celebrate Lance Franklin’s 1000th goal. She was wrong.

When Sydney Swans superstar Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin kicked his 1000 career goal to become just the sixth VFL/AFL player to reach the milestone, Ella Heads was one of the thousands of fans who ran out onto the SCG to congratulate him.

The Swans great was mobbed by both teammates and supporters honouring his extraordinary feat and Heads said it was one of the “greatest moments’’ of her life.

Lance Franklin celebrates kicking his 1000th AFL goal in round two against the Geelong Cats at the Sydney Cricket Ground in March

“Everyone was running on the field and I was one of them,’’ said the 18-year-old from Ashfield.

“I saw it on TV later and we were like ants running on the field there was so many of us. It was an incredible moment.’’

But an even more incredible moment – one that will become her new greatest moment – is still a few months down the track for Heads.

Lance Franklin celebrates with fans.

The home grown talent is in line to be part of a historic moment for the famous Swans club when it fields a team in the AFLW for the first time later this year.

And Heads is already visualising it.

“It will be such an honour. I’ll be speechless I reckon,’’ she said.

“But there’s so much to come before that. At the moment this is just the start of our pre-season. But I still think about it.’’

Young gun Ella Heads has been picked up by the Swans.

Heads joined the Sydney Swans from the Inner West Magpies, impressing scouting staff at the recent NSW/ACT AFL Summer Series.

The teenager, who was also in the inaugural Giants U19 team, left Blackwattle school in 2021 and is now studying sports and exercise science at UTS and working in a cafe twice a week between playing and training.

A former track and field athlete, netballer and touch footy player, Heads was introduced to Aussie rules at 15 and fell in love with it.

“I just love the running, being on a bigger field and the aggressive side of it, the tackling and stuff,” she said.

“It’s a way to let everything out but I like the skills as well. It’s fun to work on all the craft and try and get better.”

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