Lauren Spark’s true AFLW legacy could be made off the field with her talent for spotting talent

Lauren Spark is making her mark at the Western Bulldogs, but it’s the imprint on the AFLW competition that could be her legacy with the star defender helping to fill the game’s talent void.

Lauren spark breaks the tackle of Jess Hocking. Picture: Michael Klein

Lauren Spark is making her mark at the Western Bulldogs, but it’s the imprint on the AFLW competition that could be her legacy.

The Bulldogs premiership defender, who had a brilliant start to the season pulling in a record 11 marks as the Bulldogs held off Adelaide last Saturday, is helping to fill the talent void.

Her CrossCoders talent pathway program, set up with business partners Holly Sinclair, Jason Hill and Jonathan Jeffries, has already unearthed three AFLW players.

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Ailish Considine (playing for Adelaide, from County Clare) and Yvonne Bonner (GWS, County Donegal) debuted at the weekend while Spark’s Bulldogs teammate Aisling McCarthy (County Tipperary) will debut against Geelong at Whitten Oval on Saturday night.

And with the league to expand by four teams next season, Spark said international and local cross-code athletes would be crucial.

“CrossCoders was born out of the fact we needed more girls, we needed more women and women of a decent standard,” Spark said.

Bailey Hunt and Lauren Spark celebrate the Bulldogs premiership. Picture: Mark Stewart

“With two teams this year and four new teams next year … we just didn’t see where they were going to get (the players) from.

“We’re not stealing, we’re not poaching, but we need girls to fill these lists.

“AFL is such a great environment, that’s a big enticement for these international athletes who aren’t getting paid for a similar level of sport. Who doesn’t want to spend six months in an Australian summer getting paid to play sport?”

Spark expects almost 40 athletes to trial in front of AFLW clubs during a training camp this year, with participants coming from England, Ireland, the United States, Canada and continental Europe.

“The first stage was literally going and finding these girls; I had to stalk them a bit on social media and work out who’s who,” Spark said.

“The American college system is a super, well-structured stepping stone for those athletes. Quite a few do fall through the cracks and that is where we are to catch them.”

Lauren Spark spoils Chelsea Randall during AFLW Round 1.

Spark received the perfect 10 votes from the coaches for her Round 1 heroics, but on Monday it was back to the classroom for the Footscray North Primary School prep teacher.

“It’s hard to get your head into game mode and then fly back in on a Sunday, to then turn up on Monday and welcome a group of five-year-olds into a new environment,” Spark, 33, said.

“It’s a giant rollercoaster. Coming off a big high, you’re flying, your routine is out.

“I stayed up Saturday night replaying the whole match in my head so it took me a while to get to sleep.

“Obviously the kids and the excitement when you get back to school (is enjoyable) and a few people said ‘I saw you on the TV’, things like that; it’s always fun to come back and see everyone again.”

Spark will work three days a week during the two-month season to ensure she can prepare well for games and, of course, recover.

“The school’s been super-supportive - that allows me to have that downtime to get sorted,” Spark said.

“It doesn’t help that I’m six foot and the little chairs are tiny; I am up and down.

“It helps keeping me active, I’m not just sitting down in the classroom. They definitely keep me on my toes.”