Former AFLW young gun Annise Bradfield reveals new role after heartbreaking medical retirement

From being hailed as a potential breakout midfield star of the Suns, to medically retired at just 21 years old. Annise Bradfield reveals the mental challenges of constant rehab as she prepares for her newest football venture.

Annise Bradfield at training with the Labrador women's side. Picture: Kieron Turner/Empiria Digital.

After being forced to medically retire from the sport she loved a month before her 22nd birthday, former Gold Coast Suns and GWS Giants midfielder has re-found her love for the game she has devoted her life to.

The No.7 pick of the 2020 draft has returned to the place where her footy journey began as she is set to take the helm as women’s coach of the Labrador Tigers in 2025.

“It is really exciting, obviously my career came to an end as a player medically but I still wanted to be involved and the opportunity came about,” she said.

“I played my first year of juniors at Labrador so it is kind of like a full circle moment really.

“Even just walking around it brings back a lot of memories.”

Bradfield shared the challenges she faced on a mental level as she battled several long-term injuries throughout her AFLW career.

“Obviously going through injuries you have moments and probably periods of time where your love for the sport does fluctuate a little bit but I think when I made the decision to retire it was quite a level-headed one,” she said.

Annise Bradfield of the Suns competes for the ball during the round one AFLW match between the Gold Coast Suns and the Melbourne Demons. Photo: Matt Roberts/Getty Images

“All my injuries were unfortunately long-term ones, so they kind of extend off the back of my ACL, that was kind of the first big one that I had.

“In any rehab you go through, everything you do is so repetitive, you spend so much time in the gym and you’re doing the same thing every single day.

“A lot of the time you’re actually not out there kicking the footy and you can see everyone else is enjoying it and you’re just on the side alone.

“As much as a club can really integrate you within the team, there’s always that little bit of isolation from the group that comes with rehab.

“There was a point where I probably did that for two years straight, which was quite challenging.

“When you come out of that and you do start playing footy again and you can go back out on the field, that love for the game, it almost automatically comes back.”

Bradfield is the first move in what could be a major revolution for the women’s Labrador team with the club hoping to eventually move up to the top tier of women’s football in Queensland.

Along with bringing in a coach with AFLW experience, the Tigers are also set to unveil their new female-only changing rooms, a move which Bradfield believes is a major step towards building the women’s program up.

Annise Bradfield in action for Queensland. Pic: Supplied.

“When I met with the club the first time when they offered me the job, their long term goal was obviously they want to move into Division 1 in the next few years, hopefully at the end of the season if possible and then obviously go from there,” she said.

“They really want to be a hub of women’s footy on the Gold Coast, which as a sport is actually growing so much.

“They’re bringing in an under-8s junior girls’ team for the very first time, they want to build it from the grassroots up.

“The time and energy that they are putting into the women’s team at the moment is something that I am really grateful for.”

Since taking on the new coaching role, Bradfield has found her love for the game again.

“When I moved back to the Gold Coast, you have that factor of missing footy, I think it was my life for 11, 12 years and I needed to be involved in some sort of way,” she said.

“I knew that wasn’t going to be as a player, that’s kind of where the coaching bit came in and I was lucky enough to be offered an opportunity.

“It’s a constant evolvement at the moment but I have actually really loved it.

“I have loved seeing the progression of the girls, some of them have played for a couple of years, some have never played at all.

“It has been really nice to see girls that maybe their skills weren’t as good before, they’re starting to pick it up.

“Just seeing that development in such a small time has been really rewarding.

“I think the rewarding factor has been the best part so far I think.”