Fremantle AFLW skipper Kara Antonio on her ‘crazy’ off-season after marrying teammate Ebony Antonio
Fremantle’s AFLW skipper Kara Antonio has a new name this season after getting married to one of her Dockers teammates, and she says running out on the field with her wife is “pretty special”.
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New year, new AFL Women’s season, new name.
It’s the trifecta for Fremantle skipper Kara Antonio — nee Donnellan — who has returned to AFLW04 with a new moniker and an accessory.
A wedding ring.
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The 27-year-old married star Dockers teammate Ebony Antonio in October, having proposed during an end-of-season trip to Bali last April.
“It’s been crazy, ever since October,” she said.
“I went up to Karijini (in north-west WA) for work and then over to America for three weeks and the week after we got back, we started pre-season.
“It’s been a whirlwind, but we enjoyed it. It feels like a lifetime ago now, but it’s been awesome. It’s a bit weird donning a new surname, so it’s getting used to that. It’s mostly just ‘Juddy’, which is my nickname and pretty easy to go with.
“It’s been really good. Everyone asks me how married life is — nothing really changes.”
They say to never work with your partner, but the captain said running out alongside her wife was “really special”.
The pair will play in the first AFLW Derby on Saturday night against West Coast, having combined for 17 touches and seven tackles between them in Sunday’s 16-point win over Geelong.
“We try and make time to go out for dinner once a week to just kind of turn off from footy and zone out, which is quite nice,” Antonio said.
“We’ve made a conscious effort to do that, because you kind of get stuck in a bit of a bubble when you’re training and with each other every single day.
“It’s pretty special being on the whole rollercoaster together, and we love our banter so we take the p--- a bit which makes things a bit more enjoyable. It’s really good.”