AFLW captains reveal superstitions and dob in coach’s pet at their club
From wearing black underwear for every game to making sure you get kiss from your dog — the AFLW captains have some interesting superstitions as they reveal some secrets of the AFL Women’s competition.
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From wearing black underwear for every game to having a cold shower to making sure you get kiss from your dog. The AFLW captains have some interesting superstitions
The likes of Katie Brennan, Daisy Pearce, Emma Kearney and Steph Chiocci lift the lid on some of the secrets of AFLW, including who’s the coaches’ pet at their club.
Plus, who brings the “bangers’ in the gym and who has “horrific” taste in music?
All is revealed below.
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DO YOU HAVE ANY SUPERSTITIONS?
Katie Loynes (Carl): I wear the same underwear, sports bra – I do everything the same before a game. Same meals. In the morning it would be Special K, and then eggs and avocado on the side.
Rhiannon Watt (StK): I don’t have any. I just have to make sure that my dog Judy – a French Bulldog – gives me a kiss before I go to the game.
Ellie Blackburn (WB): I have to sidestep twice each way and do a little zigzag as I run out of the race, both pre-game and halftime.
Daisy Pearce (Melb): Not really. I used to have all these superstitions, but I don’t know if I’ve gotten too old and have no time to worry about it, but now I just think that’s the least of my worries, putting my sock on the right foot or not touching the cup or anything. Just get yourself out there and see what happens! They’ve all gone out the window.
Emma Zielke (BL): Not really. I don’t have any.
Emma Swanson (WCE): Not really, but I didn’t touch the premiership cup (at the season launch).
Kara Antonio (Frem): I tape my own ankles. Much to the disgust of our physio staff! I’ve always done it since I started playing. I don’t know why.
Emma Kearney (NM): I always say that I don’t but I think I’ve got a mild case of OCD so I’ve probably got so many that I just say it’s routine rather than superstition. I like to have a really cold shower before a game — it helps freshen me up — I don’t like to drive in the car with anyone to the game, I like to be by myself listening to loud music. When I get to the game I like to go onto the oval by myself and have a kick and check out the surroundings.
Katie Brennan (Rich): I do — I always strap my left ankle before my right and it’s left sock and left shoe before my right as well, I’m not sure why. As I’m running out onto the field I always touch the grass and jump up as high as I can every time I’m running out there. And always a coffee on game day too, I have to have caffeine.
Steph Chiocci (Coll): I say no but I also always wear black undies on game day, I’ll do 9-10 squats on the bench before I run out, I always zigzag and do a sprint three times when I’m running out. I like to do things in threes, so I’ll have three sips (of a drink) … but no I’m not really superstitious at all (laughs).
Mel Hickey (Geel): Not really superstitions but I have to have a coffee before (the game). I’m a bit of a snob so it has to be a nice one, I’m very selective. A strong almond latte with one sugar. I’m that person the barista rolls their eyes at.
Alicia Eva (GWS): I try not to be superstitious because if something goes wrong or I’m not wearing the right pair of undies or I don’t put on my socks in the right order … I try to keep it simple so I don’t go into a panic.
Chelsea Randall (Adel): I always have to have a spaghetti bolognese or a pasta the night before a game. Obviously I’m in a different role this year having done my ACL in November, so I’ll see what superstitions I can come up with as a coach – some coaches have quite a few.
Leah Kaslar (GC): Part of my preparation is to play music in the shower and that’s when I kind of get into beast mode and become a football player and not just Leah the everyday person.
WHO IS THE COACH’S PET?
KL: Tara (Bonello), our team manager got asked that and she said me. I think maybe Nat Plane.
RW: Tilly Lucas-Rodd. She answers all the questions in the team meeting.
EB: I reckon I’ve almost taken on the reins. I’m pretty good at that job and I like doing it. But there’s probably a couple that suck up a little bit. Hannah Scott’s been pretty good at it this year.
DP: Lily Mithen’s right up there. She can’t do a thing wrong in Mick’s eyes.
EZ: Loz Arnell, for sure.
ES: The Irish girls. For sure.
KA: Gemma Houghton.
KB: I’m going throw in Courtney Wakefield there.
SC: Sarah Rowe is by far the coach’s pet. She’s very, very good but yeah they just love her.
MH: ‘Hoody’ (coach Paul Hood) is pretty fair with his love, I feel like we’re all his pet but if I had to choose it would probably be Bec Goring.
AE: Definitely Cora Staunton. Definitely. Definitely. I think Cora’s pet is probably Al (coach Alan McConnell).
CR: Erin (Phillips) would be but we also have a few young ones who want to please the coach. Marijana Rajcic or even some of the older ones like Jess Foley I reckon is a bit of a coach’s pet. Erin is definitely in there as well though.
LK: Jamie Stanton and that’s probably just because she’s so consistent.
WHO IS THE TEAM DJ?
KL: Darcy Vescio or Gab Pound. Loves pumping a few tunes. Celine Dion has even made it in the gym. Everyone loved it.
RW: Kate McCarthy. She’s always on the iPad in the gym putting the tunes on, but we trust her. She does a good job.
EB: Kirsty Lamb. Though terrible choices – she listens to country music. Horrific. Nell Morris-Dalton tries to take over, but she’s very alternative, so nobody really enjoys what she puts on. It’s a lose-lose situation.
DP: Elise O’Dea – she actually did DJing in a former life and had her own decks and everything. She’s qualified. She does a good job. I don’t know half the songs, and she knows the backstory of every song.
EZ: Gabby Collingwood. She’s not bad.
ES: Our ops manager, Ellie Lampkin. She’s terrible. She plays music and I’m like ‘I feel like I’ve just broken up with my Year 5 boyfriend’. That’s how bad it is.
KA: I like to take over the tunes, but no one likes what I listen to. Evie Gooch is ours – she gets a bit of the techno, which is a bit too much for me, but it goes all right in the gym.
EK: Beth Lynch but I don’t know. Those young kids and their taste in music is not so good.
KB: ‘Benno’ (Christina Bernardi) would call herself the club DJ. There’s a few songs she loves to play in the gym and especially on game day these certain songs have to be played so she can get up and about. She does have some pretty good tunes, I must say.
SC: Katie Lynch or ‘DJ Ka’tay’ has some really good tunes. She’s only 19 but has a good variety of old and new music, she does very well.
MH: It’s between Rocky Cranston and Maddie Keryk, who has given herself the DJ name of ‘DJ Meow Meow’. Rocky normally looks after our gym sesh playlist and Maddie has game day.
AE: Pepa Randall. But we also have a festival every year called ‘Fridge Fest’ and Pepa Randall actually has DJ decks and she brings them to Fridge Fest and some of us, myself included, adopt our DJ persona and have a go on the decks. I can’t say I’m very good.
CR: I’m going to say Eloise Jones, she loves a beat. Everyone is just trying to get used to her electronic mix.
LK: Serene Watson. Bangers in the gym.
WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING ON NETFLIX AT THE MOMENT?
KL: I watched the Taylor Swift documentary – that was quite good. And The Mind of Aaron Hernandez. That was really good.
RW: I’m about to watch the Taylor Swift thing, because everyone has been talking about it. I’ve actually started Grey’s Anatomy again on Stan, which is overly time-consuming.
EB: I think it’s pretty well-known that I watch Neighbours religiously. I don’t really watch Netflix series or anything – I don’t have time to get stuck in and if I watch something, I want to binge it.
DP: No – and I won’t even blame the babies! I’m not a Netflixer or a TV show watcher. Occasionally I’ll stumble across one at a friend’s house and think ‘that was great, I should watch that’. But it’s just not my thing.
EZ: Yes (I’m a binge watcher) – I’m currently on season eight of Grey’s Anatomy. I watched it back in the day, but I’m going strong.
ES: I do enjoy some Netflix. I just finished Money Heist which was unreal. Loved it.
KA: I just finished the second season of You. And I’m watching The Mind of Aaron Hernandez, which is really interesting.
EK: I was watching Atypical – it’s about a boy with autism. It’s a bit of a drama/comedy, which is quite interesting.
KB: Just watched the Beyonce homecoming Coachella thing the other night. It’s not a series but it was really good.
SC: I’m watching Stan at the moment and I’m about to start All American, apparently it’s quite good. I haven’t watched anything on Netflix in a while.
MH: I just watched the Taylor Swift doco on the weekend, which was cool. And I just finished Cheer – that is a must-see. Amazing.
AE: I’m watching Offspring again.
CR: Is it sad I probably don’t watch too much Netflix? Survivor (Australia) has just started so I’m keen to watch a bit of that and cheer on my old teammate Abbey Holmes on again. It’s always nice seeing other female athletes on that kind of show and seeing the challenges – sometimes you kind of wonder if you’d be able to do it yourself. I’d love to be able to do something like that. I love camping, so it’d be interesting just living off rice. Harder than what people think it is, I reckon.
LK: I don’t actually watch Netflix. I surf a lot, I don’t really spend a lot of time on the couch, I live about five minutes from the beach so even in the afternoon after I get home I might go down to the beach at night and walk along the beach.
WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU PACK IN YOUR FOOTY BAG?
KL: Mouthguard. Just to get ready for a physical game.
RW: Boots. Just to be safe. All the other stuff you can get away with, but if you don’t have boots, you’re in trouble.
EB: I just shove everything in at once. There’s no real method. Probably because we don’t always play at home at Whitten, boots are a priority.
EZ: My boots and mouthguard.
ES: My mouthguard. Mum will be happy about that.
KA: My mouthguard, then boots. As long as I’ve got those two things, I’m fine.
EK: Contact lenses, I can’t play without them.
KB: I just make sure my mouthguard is there. When you don’t have your mouthguard you freak out a little bit, so I always make sure it’s there.
SC: Probably my mouthguard.
MH: My mouthguard is always in there, so that’s handy … probably my boots.
AE: My mouthguard.
CR: Football boots. Mouthguard always seems to be the last thing I reckon – I’m always like ‘ah where have I put that thing?’ This year though it might be my notebook as a coach and captain. Let’s see how I go.
LK: Boots – I forgot them once and had to buy them.
Originally published as AFLW captains reveal superstitions and dob in coach’s pet at their club