AFLW stars reveal how their footy legend dads have inspired them
They are the AFLW stars following in the footsteps of their footy legend fathers. On Father’s Day, some of the competition’s biggest names reveal how their dads inspired them.
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They are the AFLW stars following in the footsteps of their footy legend fathers.
For these young women, their indoctrination into the game came early.
On Father’s Day, leading stars of the AFLW reveal how their beloved dads kickstarted their passion for footy and ultimately their drive to make it to the top.
ERIN PHILLIPS (ADELAIDE CROWS)
Adelaide co-captain Erin Phillips can still vividly remember the day her father, Greg Phillips, won the 1990 premiership with Port Adelaide in front of a full house.
As a child, the former Olympic basketballer turned AFLW star was “instantly inspired” to play the game by watching her dad in action.
“I saw first-hand the joy and passion that playing football brought to his life,” Phillips, 34, tells News Corp Australia.
“I grew up as part of a football club that was like an extended family. I loved the game and wanted to play from the moment I could walk.”
Watching the 1990 premiership as a six-year-old was a milestone moment and a turning point in her life.
“After the siren Dad came over to me and lifted me up over the fence and I ran a lap of honour with him and his teammates.
“I still remember moments of that day. I remember jumping in the team photo and holding my fist in the air as if I was the one who had won the flag also.
“That was an incredible day for me as a young girl wanting to be a footy player.”
Phillips says her father taught her the importance of “resilience, hard work and mateship”.
During his time with Port Adelaide, Greg Phillips played in a total of eight premierships and ended up playing over 400 senior games — 343 games with Port Adelaide, 84 VFL games for Collingwood and 20 state games.
Erin Phillips advises other young players about to embark on their own football journeys to give it their all.
“Sporting careers go so fast that you take it for granted at times. You want look back at your journey some day and say that you gave it all that you could,” she says.
“Most importantly you get to spend a lot of time a part of a team and it is the best part of football. You gain lifelong friendships.”
ABBIE MCKAY (CARLTON)
As the first father-daughter recruit in AFLW history, Abbie McKay has followed in the footsteps of her father, Carlton premiership defender Andrew McKay.
McKay, 18, started out playing for a team her mum Sam established at the Prahran Junior Football Club.
Her dad’s grounded approach has helped her on her football journey, she says.
“Besides the basic football skills, I think an important thing he has taught me is that it isn’t the be all and end all,” she says.
“And if something doesn’t go to plan don’t worry about it and keep trying. I think that is what has always helped me find it enjoyable.”
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Being around footy all her life gave her an appreciation for it and a greater understanding of the game, she tells New Corp Australia.
“I don’t think there was a specific moment or milestone in my dad’s career (that inspired me) as I was still so young while dad was still playing,” she says.
“But I think his knowledge for the game helped spark my passion as I was able to go to him for any advice or queries around it whether they were big or small.
McKay urges young footballers to “just give everything a go”.
“Whether it be trying out for a new team or even trying a new skill, you never know how it will help you or where it will take you,” she says.
MELISSA HICKEY (GEELONG CATS)
Born into a family with a strong history in Aussie rules football, Geelong Cats captain Melissa Hickey was destined to love footy.
But her passion for AFL was cemented when her ever-supportive father, Peter Hickey, found a football on the side of the road near their Mildura farm.
“Dad and his brothers and father had played local football and spoke regularly about their experiences playing — the stories were generally about how good they were,” she says.
“The footy was what we watched together as a family on TV and Dad would always have the footy on the radio as he worked out in the sheds.
“But Dad was really the first one that got me started playing by bringing a football home that he found on the side of the road and then he spent time with me kicking the footy around at our property.”
Peter played for South Mildura in the Sunraysia league in the 1970s and ’80s. He trained with Richmond, but didn’t play an AFL game for them, instead returning to the family farm to work.
His daughter, 34, now wears the number 18, which he wore in his playing days.
“My dad had retired from football by the time I was born but definitely him bringing that football home and being supportive of me kicking it around was the start of my passion for footy as a player,” Hickey says.
Her beloved dad, Hickey says, taught her everything.
“Dad has taught me so much, footy wise he taught me how to kick, handball and mark — I still remember him teaching me to mark with one knee up in the air to protect myself.
“When I started playing he was always really encouraging and would help with giving me feedback on my game and would always send me a good luck message and a message after the game to check in that I wasn’t injured.”
He has been a source of support during the tough times too, she says.
Hickey says young players needs to embrace their mistakes and enjoy the process of learning football.
“And the most important part is to have fun, have fun playing the game with your own little football family,” she says.
JESSICA DAL POS (GWS GIANTS)
GWS Giants star Jessica Dal Pos grew up in a footy-mad household. Her father, Richard Dal Pos, is a well-known coach at the Darebin Falcons Football Club in Melbourne’s Preston.
He has coached a number of top AFLW players, including his daughter.
“Dad was always involved in our sports as kids growing up, he is a mad Richmond supporter so early on we all found a love for the game,” she tells News Corp Australia.
“Just having Dad coaching, running the sausage sizzle and being very hands on at Auskick and our junior football club was enough for him to share his passion and knowledge of the game with us.”
For Jessica, 25, a highlight of her sporting life has been the experience of being coached by her father, which she says, is something she holds close to her heart.
“I am very proud of the things he has achieved as a coach,” she says. “There is absolutely nothing better than lifting the premiership cup with your Dad, which usually falls around his birthday so that’s been a pretty rowdy celebration in a footy mad household.”
His knowledge and advice have been vital and he has taught her some valuable lessons along the way, she says.
“He always told me that being a good teammate was the most important thing, treat your team like your family,” she says.
“As I got older and my opponents got much bigger than me he always said, if you don’t want to get tackled run and if you want to last in the game you need to be able to kick, which would result in kicking competitions at our local park for $20.”
When it comes to advice for young players, Dal Pos refers to her father’s words of wisdom.
“The best piece of advice is from my old man — be a good teammate. Put the practice into your skills, pressure acts and communication so you can support your teammates in every situation which will enable you to be coachable, flexible in the team environment and a versatile player.”
LAUREN BELLA (GOLD COAST SUNS)
Growing up on a cattle farm in North Queensland, Lauren Bella would spend hours staring at a picture of her father, former rugby league star Anthony Bella, in his playing days.
“That particular picture I idolised, and every person I met that knew my dad in his playing career always tells me how dedicated he was to the game and his training,” the 18-year-old says.
“So the memory of that picture and the stories behind it always stuck with me, and looking back at it now, it was the first time I realised I wanted to play football, just like my Dad.
Bella will join the inaugural AFLW Gold Coast SUNS side when the club joins the competition in 2020.
Even though she pays a different cole of football, she says, she is grateful for the traits her father displayed as an athlete.
Her father, she says, has taught her invaluable “life lessons” by connecting with her through something they both love.
“He taught me to have a strong work ethic, a willingness to learn, how to be coachable, and how to show good sportsmanship and respect.
Bella says young players needs to soakup every experience, “whether it be positive or negative”.
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help, you are lucky to be involved in an industry where support is available at any time and in every shape or form,” she says.
Originally published as AFLW stars reveal how their footy legend dads have inspired them