AFLW 2023: Emerging Cat Claudia Gunjaca discusses her mental health ambassador role with Read the Play

A Geelong local, Claudia Gunjaca jumped at the chance to be an ambassador for a well-known mental health program. And she has a message to those who are struggling.

Claudia Gunjaca.

Claudia Gunjaca is reading the play on and off the field.

The emerging Cat was swung into defence last season after beginning her AFLW career as a forward and she proved to be a revelation, with Gunjaca becoming a senior regular as a key defender.

But perhaps her most important job is with Geelong based youth mental health service Read the Play.

The initiative seeks to deliver programs in partnership with sporting clubs that empower young people to take control of their mental health and wellbeing.

A local from Hamlyn Heights who played at Geelong West, Gunjaca, 26, was well aware of the program and jumped at the chance to be an ambassador.

Seeing her friends go through struggles gave her the impetus to give back to the community and teach youngsters the importance of speaking up about their mental health – something people didn’t do when she was growing up.

Gunjaca implores anyone who is struggling to speak rather than bottle it up, an important message on R U OK Day.

Claudia Gunjaca is an ambassador for Read the Play.

“My role at Read the Play is to be an ambassador to show youth that it is OK to speak about mental health which is quite a touchy subject and can be a taboo subject in some people,” Gunjaca said.

“For me the reason why I wanted to be an ambassador was because one, I had grown up in the community and in the Geelong community so I know a lot about it and also I’ve got people close to me who have gone through struggles themselves so it’s nice to be able to pay back the community in that way too.

“Growing up it wasn’t really spoken about. You kind of wish you knew what you knew now but being more educated on it has really helped.

“We have really good education now on this stuff now and programs like read the play is definitely helping that and made it come a long way.

“I think it is just really important to feel OK to ask for help. It doesn’t matter who you are, it is important for everyone to talk about these things and not bottle it up.”

While Gunjaca hasn’t faced mental health battles of her own, she has implemented strategies of her own to combat the “high stress, high anxiety” of AFLW footy.

But she certainly doesn’t look flustered on the field, clunking a game-high eight marks in Geelong’s season-opener.

Claudia Gunjaca takes one of her eight marks. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

BACK TO SYDNEY

Gunjaca and her side claimed a crucial win over Sydney away from home last week, and it was there that her rapid rise began four years ago.

She moved to the harbour state in 2019 to complete her physiotherapy studies and joined the UTS Bats just to make some friends.

But her successful season, where she won the Mostyn Medal as the league best and fairest, put her on the draft radar, training with Greater Western Sydney in the lead-up to the intake.

And while she was left undrafted on that occasion, the Cats came calling and she joined their VFLW side.

Missing out spurred her on, and strong form and dedication saw her added to the Cats list in 2021 through their mature-age priority package.

“I did end up winning the league medal up there so that put my name out there and I did a couple of trainings at GWS at the time,” she said.

“But obviously I didn’t get picked up in that draft so I guess it made me more hungry and determined to get picked up.

“And obviously pretty special to do it at a club that you have supported your whole life and grown up in the area so it is nice to be in Geelong for sure.”

Originally published as AFLW 2023: Emerging Cat Claudia Gunjaca discusses her mental health ambassador role with Read the Play