Sam Virgo and Leah Kaslar reflect on footy, life and leadership in the Big Q and A
In 2016 they shared the honour of being named joint QWAFL league best and fairest winners, and now they will share the Suns AFLW captaincy. Ahead of the Suns first match against GWS this afternoon, captains Sam Virgo and Leah Kaslar reflect on footy, life and leadership.
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In 2016 they shared the honour of being named joint QWAFL league best and fairest winners, and now they will share the Suns AFLW captaincy. Ahead of the Suns first match against GWS this afternoon, captains Sam Virgo and Leah Kaslar reflect on footy, life and leadership.
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You guys are obviously a brand new team and you find yourself in a tough conference with the 2019 premiers and a few other tough sides. What will success look like to you guys in your first season?
SV: I think committing to our game style and playing that each week, our best footy will stem from our game plan so we need to make sure we do that every week. We need to improve every time we get the opportunity to get on the park.
LK: I think success to us is really getting better every week and showing what our weapons are. We’ve got a really talented group and I think we’ll be able to play an exciting brand of football so we want to put our best foot forward and keep getting better as we go.
You both lived the experience of being inaugural Lions AFLW players. So what is the biggest challenge of being part of an expansion club?
SV: Our biggest challenge is not knowing what we can do together. That uncertainty sometimes can take away a bit of your confidence so I think it will take some time for us to gel together and understand each other. Really, we’ve only had three games (Winter Series) and two practice matches so as an expansion club, we’re starting at the back of the pack.
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LK: One of the biggest challenges we knew we would face was developing that closeness and camaraderie. A few of us are from here but we’ve got a few players as well from different states. We’ve got two from the Northern Territory, three from South Australia and two from the ACT as well as players who’ve been in Melbourne and now come back. We recognised that early and held a players pre-season camp in Yamba. We’ve had a lot of different beach activities and get-togethers to try and build that culture. That’s now becoming one of our strengths so we’re pretty proud of what we’ve done in that space so far. Obviously the inexperience playing together was going to be a challenge so a way to overcome that was to become tight as a group and develop our culture.
This afternoon, you play your first game in Suns colours against GWS. What’s running through your head as you run up the race onto the ground?
SV: Stay calm, stay calm. You’re the captain now. Got to keep it together! And a lot of pride and excitement. I keep coming back to those two things. I’m proud to be involved and to lead and to contribute. I’m excited because we’re doing what we love at the highest level and we’re putting everything we’ve worked on into practice.
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LK: I’m just going to be taking it all in. These moments don’t come very often in life, running out wearing this guernsey for the first time. It’s the first of its kind representing the Gold Coast. I’ll be looking around at the crowd and at my teammates and just feeling absolutely wrapped to be where I am.
Both making the move from the Lions, did you talk much to each other about whether you were staying or going?
SV: I spoke to Leah, I spoke to teammates, family, and friends. It’s a big decision and it’s important to get it right so you have to speak to those who know you well and have your best interests at heart through all the things you have to consider. Some of the best decisions are the most difficult. It was one of the most difficult periods of my life really but it’s certainly the best decision and now I’m living the dream.
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LK: We did actually. I didn’t just talk to Sam but I talked to my other teammates as well. Being an expansion league, players are encouraged to move to these new clubs to help them achieve success. You’ve got to make sure that the new players and young players who are going there and leaders who can set the standard and share their knowledge. I did chat to quite a few people because it was a really important decision for me personally and I value the opinions of those around me but my decision to come to the Coast was the right one. Being able to contribute to the beginning of a team I’ve supported since the beginning is important.
Leadership is obviously about inspiring others but who is your inspiration in sport and in life?
SV: I was 13 when Cathy Freeman ran that race at the Sydney Olympics so she was probably my first role model in a sporting sense that I can recall. What she achieved was unreal. She’d have to be my girl.
LK: When I was growing up, there weren’t really that many role models in football. Growing up, there was a girl called Katherine Pender who was the captain of my basketball team and football club. I think of her as like the female Garry Ablett of that day. She was an absolute freak and just a good quality human who I looked up to a lot. In terms of female athletes, Steph Gilmore is a favourite of mine. Her style and grace and how humble she is combined with being able to back up her performance year after year is so impressive.
What do you think is your personal leadership philosophy or style?
SV: I generally try and lead by my actions and make sure I’ve got a really good understanding of what we’re trying to achieve so I can role model the behaviours that will take us to that place. Building relationships is a really important part of that as well so you can understand where everyone is coming from and understanding how you can help them best contribute to our cause.
LK: My leadership philosophy is to definitely help people get the best out of themselves and collectively achieve what we want to achieve together. It’s really important to understand what people want out of their football and what’s important to them and helping them grow the confidence and growing the skill set to develop in that direction. For me, it’s about developing good relationships and helping people get the best out of themselves.
What do you think is the biggest challenge being a modern day, professional female athlete?
SV: Holding all the balls in the air. I’ve got to juggle all the responsibilities I have as a 32-year-old which include being a parent, working full time and now being a captain of an AFLW club. That’s the biggest challenge, allocating enough time and enough of your energy to all of those different commitments.
LK: My answer is probably the same. I work full time as a scientist and then obviously trying to produce your best football and recover well and fit everything you need to in is difficult. Now that I’m playing on the Coast rather than in Brisbane it’s a bit easier. I get 12 hours back a week in terms of the travelling time. I think finding that work life balance, I didn’t have that as much at Brisbane because I was driving so much but here, I’m able to go down to the beach for recovery and do something I do at the same time. Work, life balance is really important.
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I think that definitely sums up the life of AFLW athletes but have you ever considered scaling back or finding easier work? Or is there a sense of pride in what you’ve built career wise?
SV: I’d love to just play footy. That would be great but it’s not a reality at the moment. I’ve got to support my family financially. I’ve got to be able to work full time and manage my time so my partner can stay at home and raise our daughter. That’s paramount for me. That is my ideal world. I think I’m better when I’m busy and if I couldn’t manage it, I wouldn’t do it. I’m living the life really.
LK: I don’t think I could give up my career for football at the moment. I’ve invested so much in both of them and I really enjoy being able to do what I do as a job. Cleaning water and cleaning up the environment is so important to me. I’m a big surfer so I love and value what we have. It would be really hard to not have either of my professions. That’s why I’m so happy to be home at the Suns.
Get to know the Suns’ Co-Captains
LEAH KASLAR
Born: Caringbah, New South Wales
Age: 34
Drafted: To the Brisbane Lions with pick 31 in the 2016 AFLW draft from the Coolangatta Bluebirds
Debut: Round 1, 2017, Brisbane vs Melbourne at Casey Fields
Career
-2016 QWAFL best and fairest
-2017-2019: Brisbane: 21 games
-2019 Lions AFLW captain
-2020-present: Gold Coast Suns
SAM VIRGO
Born: Blackwood, South Australia
Age: 32
Drafted: To the Brisbane Lions with pick 66 in the 2016 AFLW draft from the Yeronga South Brisbane Devils
Debut: Round 1, 2017, Brisbane vs Melbourne at Casey Fields
Career
-2016 QWAFL best and fairest
-2017-2019: Brisbane: 15 games
-2017 AFLW All Australian
-2020-present: Gold Coast Suns
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