AFLW 2021: Crosscode star Tessa Lavey’s rise to women’s football star lauded

Crosscode stars are nothing new in AFLW — but Richmond might have unearthed one of the best. Here’s how a basketball background has helped her transition.

Brittany Bonnici is having a standout season for Collingwood. Picture: Getty

Tessa Lavey may be just five games into her AFLW career but she’s starting to show the characteristics that have led her to the Olympics as the Australian Opals’ on-court general.

A point guard, Lavey runs the team on the basketball court, directing play and the players around her.

And while she’s still picking up the finer points of her new code, Richmond coach Ryan Ferguson says Lavey’s incredible run and consummate professionalism is already affecting the Tigers for the better.

Lavey was not among Richmond’s scorers against the Gold Coast Suns at Metricon Stadium on Friday night but the touch she showed to pick up a ball on the wing, sprint away and deliver a perfectly execute a pinpoint kick that set up a goal for teammate Christina Bernardi, showed sublime skill that had Ferguson raving about her effect on the team.

“Her knowledge of elite sport has been huge for us,” Ferguson said of the 27-year-old, who lobbed for her first AFLW pre-season late in the part after competing for Bendigo in the WNBL hub in Queensland.

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Tessa Lavey on the burst for Richmond in Friday’s win over Gold Coast.

Cross-code stars have been a feature of the AFLW in the opening years of its existence as the skill level of the entire playing group continues to rise.

As more and more footballers emerge through the junior pathways, their influence is likely to diminish but Ferguson said Lavey’s impact was not necessarily about her ball skills.

“In terms of our team, she’s a power runner and regardless of whether she touches the ball or not, she impacts the game,” he said.

“When she gets the ball in her hands it’s almost a bonus but she’s got so much speed and power and she’s still learning a bit of the footy, a bit of polish and the timing and the nous to finish off her work.

Tessa Lavey dribbles forward for the Boomers.

“But she’s also delivered some nice moments in a few different games, so we just like her energy.”

The Tigers took more than a year to earn their first AFLW victory but their win over the Suns – who remain without a victory this season – is their second in a fortnight and Ferguson hopes they continue to improve.

“Our journey wasn’t really aimed at finals, so that hasn’t been a talking point – we’ve got two really big games (left) for us to keep trying to improve,” he said.

“That’s been our goal for the whole season, to improve every week, improve every training session and we’ve got a few more training sessions and a couple more games to try and keep improving.”

Gun basketballer Tessa Lavey pulling off this "brilliant" play in just her fifth AFLW game. 👏🌟

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Tessa Lavey is a gem. Richmond’s found one. #AFLW

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IS MCG THE RIGHT VENUE FOR AFLW DECIDER?

Liz Walsh

Collingwood midfielder Britt Bonnici says she would support a push to play the AFLW Grand Final at the MCG if a Victorian team wins the right to host the season decider.

The Magpies are undefeated heading into Round 7 and traditionally the top-ranked side in the playoff has hosted the Grand Final.

More than 50,000 people crammed into Adelaide Oval to watch the Crows beat Carlton in 2019.

“Every kid that grows up watching footy – girls and boys – we see our idols play on the MCG,” Bonnici said.

“The MCG is a massive part of footy and it would be awesome to have the opportunity to make our own footprints on young girls’ dreams and live out our own dreams.”

As it stands with three AFLW rounds remaining 10 teams are still mathematical chances to make finals (in ladder order): Collingwood, Fremantle, Brisbane, Adelaide, North Melbourne, Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, Carlton, St Kilda and GWS.

Brittany Bonnici is having a standout season for Collingwood. Picture: Getty

The top six teams qualify for a three-week finals series – with the Grand Final slotted for the weekend of April 17.

While Bonnici backed the ‘G, Fox Footy commentators Leigh Montagna and Sarah Olle said the women’s game should not always fall in line with the men.

Olle hoped the precedent set in previous finals series — that the team that finishes highest on the ladder hosts the Grand Final — would continue.

“The AFL have this tradition where (the Grand Final is) at the MCG … but this is the AFLW and it’s carving out its own traditions,” she said.

“If the Magpies finish on top, I’d love them to host it at their ground of choice in Melbourne, whether that’s their spiritual home at Vic Park, or even at Marvel Stadium or at the MCG.”

Montagna agreed that the AFLW shouldn’t follow the AFL’s lead of always playing Grand Finals at the MCG.

“I think we should leave it like most other sports where you get to host a Grand Final if you finish on top like Adelaide did a few years ago, that was amazing,” he said.

“I don’t think we have to follow the men at all … the women should go their own way and reward the team that finishes on top.”

The AFL is not expected to announce the fixture for its upcoming women’s finals series until the end of its minor rounds in three weeks.

Those scenarios include one big possibility that will have AFL purists rubbing their hands together: the first AFLW Grand Final played at the MCG.

Collingwood plays its home games at Victoria Park. Marvel Stadium, which has hosted a VFLW Grand Final, would be another option for Victorian teams.

While the AFL Grand Final has been locked in for Saturday September 25 at the MCG, Bonnici says having a floating date and venue for the women’s playoff did not bother her and her teammates.

Over 50,000 attended the AFLW Grand Final at Adelaide Oval in 2019. Picture: Tom Huntley

“This year we’ve learnt how important adaptability is, as athletes and a whole competition,” said Bonnici, 24, adding that clubs have already been dealing multiple fixture rewrites.

“(With COVID-19), we’ve learnt that the teams that adapt best are the teams that will move forward the best and in light of that and having already been taking it week by week, we have the understanding that we can’t control everything.

“We can only control what happens in our four walls and not having a set date like the men do, is just another step … the Grand Final will happen whenever the Grand Final happens … it’s not too big of a problem compared with other things we’ve been thrown this year.”

Bonnici, who is enjoying her best season in five years by posting career-best averages for disposals (23.8), marks (6.2), and rebound 50s (2.2), said as the AFLW continued to grow and develop, she hoped issues including having no set date for the big dance would fade out.

Originally published as AFLW 2021: Crosscode star Tessa Lavey’s rise to women’s football star lauded