The rise of women’s sports in Australia is hurting our medal hopes, writes Crash Craddock

THE days of Australia’s female athletes saving our blushes at major meetings like the Commonwealth Games and Olympics are under siege due to the rise of women’s sports like AFLW, W-League and the upcoming women’s NRL competition.

IF Cathy Freeman was 25 not 45 do you reckon she might leave the Gold Coast Games with a cheeky offer to play for the Brisbane Lions?

Or Australian Sevens rugby? Or one of the new women’s rugby league teams?

If London gold rowing medallist Kim Brennan was 22 not 32 do you reckon she might already be playing AFL, given her dad played 200 AFL games and she played it as a youngster?

“If they had a pathway system back then I may never have jumped in a boat,’’ Brennan said yesterday. “Had I been 20 and started football I might have stuck with it but once I found rowing I would have kept it because I really enjoyed it and maybe tried football after retirement.’’

Time beat her. It may not beat the next Brennan or Freeman, or Stephanie Rice, or Debbie-Flintoff-King and that spells trouble for Australia’s Games campaigns.

Australia's Kim Brennan won gold in Rio but might never have been a rower if AFL pathways had existed for women when she was growing up.

When Australia’s Olympic Games campaigns were faltering there has normally been a female champion to get us by. All of the above won golds and even at this Games females athletes have produced just under 50% of the gold medals including 19 of the first 40.

But the world is changing. In some ways the Games resemble the Magic Millions yearling sales which are held up the road.

At least two women’s AFL talent scouts are attending this week and they must drool at the potential of someone like 400m glamour girl Morgan Mitchell who has pace, strength and poster girl looks.

Erin Phillips, the former Olympic basketballer, has become the pin-up girl for the AFLW following her exceptional deeds with the Adelaide Crows.

She wanted to play this Games but could not fit it in with her other commitments, including her AFLW commitments — a small but significant sign of how the world is turning upside down and the Games are no longer the unrivalled pinnacle.

Erin Phillips has been an AFLW star and gave up a chance at the Commonwealth Games because it conflicted with scheduling.

Phillips was reportedly earning around $100,000 playing basketball and while she earnt an AFLW contract of around $20,000 her wideranging endorsements which followed it are now so substantial it takes her earnings past what she could make in basketball.

Olympic javelin thrower Kim Mickle signed for the Freemantle AFLW side just after the Rio Olympics.

When Georgie Parker was celebrating her hockey gold medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games she would have laughed in your face had you told her by this Games she would be playing a sport (AFLW) she had never played in a competition which then did not exist.

The lingering question is not whether more will follow but who will follow. The drain is inevitable.

This is a serious threat which Australian athletics will struggle to combat.

“It’s really clear — the AFLW target ready-made athletes from other sports,’’ said leading women’s sports broadcaster Kelli Underwood.

Kelli Underwood knows the impact women’s sport is having in Australia.

“The Olympics used to be the female athletes times to shine and it was the one time when they could earn a living as a professional athlete. But now there are so many choices.

“The AFLW target those athletes because they are already involved in high performance because in this early stage of the AFLW many of the players had previously might have just been training once a week and were not near the standard of a professional.

“Now they have an academy and eventually a new type of player will come through but right now they still need ready made athletes.’’

Olympian Becchara Palmer walked away from a 13-year professional beach volleyball career to play for the Adelaide Crows such is her level of excellence on the training paddock that Crows coaches feel she pays her way by showing others the standards they need to reach.

More will follow. The question is who …

Originally published as The rise of women’s sports in Australia is hurting our medal hopes, writes Crash Craddock