Charlotte Hammans living out AFL Women’s dream with Gold Coast Suns
Charlotte Hammans has always wanted to be an AFLW player. It didn’t matter that when she started at age six that there wasn’t an elite women’s competition.
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CHARLOTTE Hammans has always wanted to be an AFLW player.
It didn’t matter that when she started at age six that there wasn’t an elite women’s competition.
When she started playing Auskick at school, she knew that footy was her calling.
“I always wanted to play footy for a living,” she said.
“I was deadset on playing footy and thought I’d be able to play with the boys back when I didn’t really understand that you couldn’t do that.
“My family are all inaugural Suns members so we went to every Suns game growing up and I just imagined what it would be like to be out there in front of the crowd playing.
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“As soon as I knew there was going to be a league (AFLW), it’s what I wanted to do.”
Footy was something the 18-year-old naturally excelled in.
The crafty forward has represented Queensland at the 2018 national championships and was the team’s leading goal-kicker, leading to her selection in the All-Australian squad.
But while footy was her one true love, Hammans also excelled at surf life saving, athletics and rowing, winning a QLD state medal in the 400m hurdles as a junior.
“I must have had pretty good time management skills,” she said.
“And my parents helped to make sure I balanced everything.
“Doing the other sports really helped me to excel because I had good endurance from athletics and rowing which helped me physically have an edge.”
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After years of training, playing and hoping, the Burleigh Bomber’s junior’s dream AFLW dream finally came true earlier this year.
With the Suns able to make three, under 18 priority signings as an expansion AFLW side, Hammans made history as one of the Suns first picked.
“I’d been at a Suns academy training and I came home and Fiona McLarty (head of women’s football) was sitting in my lounge room” Hammans said.
“She got me to sit down with my family and told me that signed me.
“I didn’t think I was going to get picked straight away but I’m so grateful that I did.
“There were a few of us (who met the criteria) but I thought the other girls were further up the line than me.”
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Now all that’s left is for Hammans to make her Suns debut and complete the prophecy she dreamt up as a junior.
“I’d just be grateful for the opportunity,” she said.
“It would mean all my hard work had paid off.”
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