Jess Hosking on leaving AFLW and finding herself again
AFLW star Jess Hosking sacrificed weddings, birthdays and funerals for sport now faces her biggest challenge yet — discovering who she is without football.
Jess Hosking has opened up about her ‘identity crisis’ and feeling like her world would implode when her AFLW career reached a crossroads.
Hosking was playing at Richmond with her twin sister Sarah when she was delisted at the end of the 2023 season.
“The timing of that, once you’re in it, it’s like your world implodes,’’ Hosking said.
“I was shattered but I made the decision to give everything another shot and I'm really grateful I went over to Perth.”
Hosking joined the Eagles as a free agent but made the decision in May to call it quits due to personal reasons.
“At that point my body was well and truly done,’’ Hosking said.
“My knee essentially blew up to the point where I couldn’t run or walk and I haven’t really for the past four months. My ACL was pretty cooked and getting a donor ACL, they’ve gone in and removed as much bone to realign that and straightened the knee.
“I’m in constant pain and have had some pretty crazy injuries, but it gives me a lot of perspective.”
Hosking celebrated her 30th birthday earlier this month and misses playing footy and netball. She won’t stay inactive for long — she said it’s hard to tell an athlete to stop being competitive.
“Having a conversation with the surgeon, he laughed and said I do like a comeback story,’’ Hosking said.
“I’ve got things outside of football and an amazing job but for the first time you’ve got that identity crisis having always put sport first.
“I’ve never been able to go on holidays, I’ve missed birthdays, funerals and weddings and that’s the sacrifice you make as an athlete. I’m finding enjoyment in being there for family and friends and being grateful for what I have. But you can’t tell an athlete to lie down and you can never stop scratching that itch.”
Hosking has had a few chats with Triple M, where her sister works, about doing some media but she’s in a good place and will reassess once she overcomes her debilitating injury.
“I’m trying to be authentically me and I feel happy,’’ Hosking said.
“Women’s (AFLW) contracts were $7500 back in 2016 and 2017 and half of that went to private health. Now it’s 60, maybe $65,000 as a base contract and that’s massive. It’s exciting to reach new audiences and see the growth.”
