Crows overlook glamour girl Abbey Holmes for historic first AFLW game as depth shines through

SHE’S the glamour Crows girl who can’t get a game. High-profile star Abbey Holmes is a victim of Adelaide’s playing depth as it heads into its first game of AFLW football.

SHE’S the glamour Crows girl who can’t get a game.

In what coach Bec Goddard says is a testament to the depth of Adelaide’s first AFLW women’s squad and an elite fitness program, SA-born Northern Territory star Abbey Holmes will be forced to sit and watch today’s historic match against GWS at Thebarton Oval.

And Goddard is making no apologies for leaving a player who had been expected to be one of the club’s main drawcards out of her first team.

Businesswoman and part-time model Holmes, 26, is a four-times NTFL premiership player and leading goalkicker for Waratah, the only woman to kick 100 goals in a season in an established league (in 2014) and has been a regular in EJ Whitten charity matches against the men in recent years.

“We don’t talk about the glamour girl Abbey Holmes, we talk about Abbey Holmes the footballer,’’ Goddard said.

Abbey Holmes ... did not make first Crows AFLW side.

“And Abbey, like Lauren O’Shea, Jasmine Anderson and Soph Armitstead, was really stiff to miss out this weekend.

“Abbey and Soph are both emergencies for the game, we selected the side on what we thought was the best team on a number of individual match-ups with the Giants, and Abbey knows that.

“She will play football for the Crows this year, all of our 27 players will play a game for the Crows this year, I am really confident about that.

“But it’s competitive, I’m really happy with the depth of our squad and we are very optimistic about what we hope to achieve this year.’’

Mathew Richardson of the All Stars and Abbey Holmes celebrate a goal during the EJ Whitten Legends match at Etihad Stadium in September. Picture: Michael Dodge (Getty Images)

Goddard, whose marquee players are co-captains Chelsea Randall and star basketballer Erin Phillips, is in the rare situation of having all but one squad member — Jenna McCormick (soccer commitments) — available to play, boosting the team’s Round 1 chances.

“We think it’s a big advantage and it’s a credit to our strength and conditioning staff and the coaches for the way they’ve managed the load of the players, their mental state, their rehab, everything along the way because this is brand new to them,’’ Goddard said.

“Some of these players had only trained once a week before coming to the Crows and all of a sudden their loads have tripled or quadrupled, so for us to be able to pull ahead (fitness-wise) at this time is really good.’’

Goddard says her girls are “really excited’’ as they prepare for their first AFLW match and is confident of a good first-up display against a team she admits “has some unknowns’’.

She said Adelaide would be “exciting to watch’’.

“It will be fast Crows football, we drafted quick players deliberately and we are going to be focusing on our attack on the ball and our attack on the player with the ball,’’ Goddard said.

“You get one chance to make a first impression and that’s this weekend. I’d like to be on the right side of history at the end of the game and we are very optimistic about what our group can achieve.’’

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Originally published as Crows overlook glamour girl Abbey Holmes for historic first AFLW game as depth shines through