Kate Lutkins discusses her role in the Australian Defence Force and how it helps her football career
When Prime Minister Scott Morrison visited Brisbane he made a beeline for Lions AFLW star Kate Lutkins or as she’s also known Lance Corporal Kate Lutkins.
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“Thanks for your service to our country.”
When Prime Minister Scott Morrison dropped by Brisbane last month to pledge Federal Government funding for the Lions new headquarters at Springfield he made a beeline for one of the club’s AFLW stars, Lance Corporal Kate Lutkins who is living her dream as a footballer and driver in the 7th service combat support battalion.
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“Someone must have mentioned I was in the service because he came over to me and thanked me, I love being in the ADF and it was pretty special to have the Prime Minister take the time to say that,’’ he said.
“As a kid if I was driving somewhere with my parents and we would pass an army truck I was always like, I just want to do that when I grow up.
“I just wanted to stomp around in the bush, and even though when you join you realise there is much more to it than that, there is still plenty of that type of stuff which I love.
“We are always training, our specific role is to provide logistic support but you are always a soldier on the ground first so we train for that.’’
Lutkins finds her dual career as an AFLW player and a member of the ADF compliment each other nicely, firstly because of the physical nature of both jobs and also the sense of camaraderie within the service is similar to a footy side.
She always enters pre-season in good shape because of her training commitments at work but is given exemptions within the season by the army.
“I just do recovery session during the PT sessions,’’ she said.
“If they are doing hill runs or high intensity circuits, it is impossible to load manage with the footy training.’’
The Lions take on Melbourne at Hickey Park, the home ground of Lutkins’ club Wilston-Grange.
“It is so exciting, it is going to be pretty amazing and so great for the fans having a game right in the hub of Brisbane, hopefully we can put on a show for them,’’ she said.
Brisbane have been the most consistent side in the first two season of the AFLW having appeared in both grand finals, but they lost both and last year saw a mass exodus of players leave to join expansion side North Melbourne.
The good news for Lions fans is that Lutkins, who won the medal as the best player on the ground in last year’s grand final, has promised to play out her career for the club.
“I think loyalty is special, I absolutely love the club, I am born and bred here and I could never leave,’’ she said.
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Originally published as Kate Lutkins discusses her role in the Australian Defence Force and how it helps her football career
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