Western Bulldogs swoop on WNBL prodigy Monique Conti at AFLW draft

WESTERN Bulldogs recruit Monique Conti could rival Daisy Pearce, Liz Cambage and Michelle Payne as Melbourne’s most marketable female athletes.

GILBERT GARDINER

less than 2 min read

October 19, 2017 - 7:44AM

Monique Conti has been drafted by the Bulldogs. Picture: David Smith

WESTERN Bulldogs recruit Monique Conti could rival Daisy Pearce, Liz Cambage and Michelle Payne as Melbourne’s most marketable female athletes.

The lively Melbourne Boomers point guard was taken with the third Victorian pick (fourth overall) in the AFLW Draft, launching an exciting multi-code career.

Conti, 18, locked to the Boomers until the end of 2021, plans to juggle both sports while completing her VCE studies at Maribyrnong Sports Academy.

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The pint-sized point guard, who rejected offers to play college basketball in America, has been a revelation on and off the court for the Boomers.

Boomers general manager Justin Nelson said fans had rallied behind the 165cm dynamo, whose merchandise sales bettered marquee centre Cambage 10 to one.

“Monique could be the biggest female athlete in Melbourne for the next 10 years,” Nelson told the Herald Sun.

Monique Conti with Western Bulldogs coach Paul Groves. Picture: Getty Images

Monique Conti in action for the Boomers. Picture: Mike Dugdale

“At 5’5 (Monique) defies the theory that you got to be a giant to play basketball.”

A fierce competitor, Conti, who represented Australia at the under-19 world basketball cup in Italy this year, played just five VFLW games for Melbourne University.

“I’ve been overlooked a few times because of my height,” Conti said.

“Once I was trying out for a state team and told I wasn’t wide enough, so I went away and put on five kilos of muscle.

“Whether it’s on the court or on the footy field, or in life, it’s important to make the most of your point of difference — and that’s not my height.