Brisbane Lions marquee Sabrina Frederick-Traub’s remarkable journey to reach AFLW stardom

SABRINA Frederick-Traub has always looked on the bright side. Even when she was uprooted as a seven-year-old and moved to the other side of the world.

Sabrina Frederick-Traub has become one of the most recognisable faces in the AFLW. Photo: Michael Willson/AFL Media/Getty Images

SIX hours.

That’s how long Sabrina Frederick-Traub waits in the hairdresser’s chair, as her hair is braided.

Roughly, that’s the amount of time it takes to play five AFLW matches. That’s a lot of patience. Or a fistful of magazines to flick through.

Yet the Brisbane marquee hardly considers it time-consuming, nor a chore.

Like she does with every aspect of her life, Frederick-Traub finds a way to spin the situation.

She gets to catch up with her hairdresser. It saves her time in the future. And besides, it looks cool.

“I’ve just fallen in love with the hairstyle. I’ve had it for about two years now,” Frederick-Traub tells foxfooty.com.au.

“It’s so easy for me to roll out of bed and have it done. So six hours for one day then not having to do it for three months is worth it for me.”

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The 20-year-old’s braids have become somewhat iconic since she burst on to the AFLW scene.

And while it wasn’t her intention, they’ve become symbolic of her love for her own AFL idol.

“It’s a bit crazy because when I was growing up my football hero was Nic Naitanui,” Frederick-Traub says.

“His dreads became a trademark for him and — not that I did it on purpose — but now I kind of look at it and it’s kind of the same thing.

“People are recognising me for the braids. I don’t know what happened there, but it’s kind of cool at the same time because I looked up to Nic for most of my football journey.”

Fear the braids! Photo: Jason O'Brien/Getty Images

THE AFL JOURNEY THAT STARTED 14, 479KM AWAY

Frederick-Traub’s football journey originated in the UK when she was a soccer-playing seven year old.

Her mother met an Australian man. They married. And Frederick-Traub set off to Peth with her older sister and younger brother.

“It was kind of like a holiday for me because mum said to us, ‘we’ll go and if we don’t enjoy it we’ll come back’,” Frederick-Traub recalls.

“As a seven-year-old I thought we would come back.”

But Perth, and indeed Australia, became Frederick-Traub’s adopted home for good.

And luckily, it belied everything she had imagined of the far off nation.

“The only real reference of Australia for me was (the movie) Kangaroo Jack,” Frederick-Traub laughs.

“It scared me a bit because if you watch Kangaroo Jack it’s just all desert.

“I was a bit scared about coming here because I thought it would be a massive desert place where all the ground is orange and there’s kangaroos running around.”

At school, AFL helped bridge Frederick-Traub’s transition into Australian life, minus the kangaroos.

Even as a young outsider with a different accent she looked on the bright side.

“I thought I might as well join in otherwise I’d be sitting on the sideline by myself,” Frederick-Traub says.

THE (NOT SO) BIG MOVE TO BRISBANE

When Frederick-Traub was offered a marquee position at the Lions, she barely had to think twice.

While the move would be significant, it could hardly compete with the one she’d made 12 years earlier.

“I definitely think it helped already making that move because I was already away from family,” Frederick-Traub says.

“Mum just said to me: ‘you can make the move and if you don’t like it you can always come home’. I think that reassurance of knowing I could come back and it would be fine, it gave me the confidence to take that leap.”

Still, there were a few milestones to get through.

Frederick-Traub had never celebrated a birthday away from her family. She felt apprehensive about being in a new city for the occasion.

Tayla Harris and Sabrina Frederick-Traub are good mates. Photo: Jono Searle.

But her marquee sister and good friend Tayla Harris rallied the troops to ensure it was a birthday Frederick-Traub would never forget.

“It was an emotional time because I had the whole team there and we went out for dinner,” she said.

“They all organised it. It was a surreal moment, knowing that being here I still have another family. It’s a home away from home.”

Harris’ and Frederick-Traub’s synergy has extended on to the field, where the pair have taken the most contested marks in the competition.

Twin towers, they bully their opponents into submission with their strength, presence and genuine love of crashing into packs.

“I think being tall targets, you have to be a presence otherwise you’re not taking advantage of what you have. There’s not many tall defenders, at least that we’ve come across,” Frederick-Traub says.

“For me and Tayla, we have big personalities and it reflects in the game. If we don’t make an impact we don’t enjoy the game and I think that has showed so far. Hopefully it keeps showing.”

DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY

If you’ve had the pleasure of watching Frederick-Traub, you’ll get as much joy witnessing her uncompromising attack on the footy as seeing her sunny disposition.

Her smile is a constant.

“The thing about me is I didn’t grow up playing AFL because my dad played it or my cousin played it. I chose to play and I really, really enjoy it,” Frederick-Traub says.

Her passion for the game has transcended on to the footy field, where she has played a key role in each of Brisbane’s four wins.

After last weekend’s match against GWS — in which she racked up 13 touches, six marks, eight hit-outs, four tackles and one goal — Frederick-Traub received a Rising Star nomination.

She makes it look easy, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel the heat.

“We were warned coming into this that people were going to have their opinion now we’re in the spotlight,” Frederick-Traub concedes.

“Going into this, I knew there would be pressure on whether I performed or not.”

Over the halfway mark of the season, Frederick-Traub has more than earned her marquee status.

And there has certainly been plenty to smile about — just like always.

“I have a big personality outside of footy as well. I’m an upbeat person,” Frederick-Traub says.

“I think I get it from my mum. She always said you’ve got to find the positives in life.”

Originally published as Brisbane Lions marquee Sabrina Frederick-Traub’s remarkable journey to reach AFLW stardom