Rival football codes soccer and rugby league proving to be valuable assets for AFLW Crow Danielle Ponter

Adelaide Crow happy to play soccer and rugby league as part of her off-season fitness program before the 21-22 AFL season

Territorian Danielle Ponter celebrates after kicking a goal for the Adelaide Crows AFLW side in the 2020 grand final. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images.

ADELAIDE Crow Danielle Ponter prefers the smart approach when it comes to maintaining her physical fitness.

Drafted to the AFLW Crows from NTFL club St Mary’s in 2018, the 21-year-old has been a revelation at the elite level, playing in a premiership in her first season, winning the league’s Rising Star Award and taking the 2021 AFLW mark of the year.

A year-long diet of sport has beaten the tyranny of distance between Adelaide and her hometown of Darwin and the long break between AFLW seasons.

Soccer has been her latest venture, playing for the NT Yapas in the Norzone Women’s Premier League where the indigenous side played off in last week’s Women’s Challenge Cup Final.

Ponter also turns out for NT Rugby League side Darwin Sistaz, playing in the centres where her hard running and clever hand skills have led to her scoring several tries.

“I’m just trying to keep fit in the off-season with no (Australian) football up here at the moment and all the COVID stuff happening,’’ Ponter said.

“That makes it hard to go down south or anywhere else to play footy, so to keep myself fit in the off-season I’ve got to play other sports.

“But it’s good at the same time because you’ve got to learn new skills that are so different to footy, especially in soccer, it’s very exciting and I’m really enjoying it.’’

Ponter said the hands-on approach to fitness was OK with the Crows’ hierarchy.

“Anything that keeps me fit, they’ll be happy,’’ she said. “There is always (the potential of injury) but I’m a lot younger than some of the girls on our list.

“There’s plenty of years in me and no stress on me getting injured as well.’’

Ponter said a change of date for the 21-22 AFLW season, including a December kick-off, meant pre-season was likely to begin in late September or early October.

“As soon as that is worked out and flights are organised, I’ll get back to Adelaide and work my butt off to get ready for Round 1,’’ she said.

Another NTFL Saint with an appetite for the round ball game is rising star J’noemi Anderson.

The youngest sister of North Melbourne star Jed Anderson kicked a goal for the Yapas in their Cup Final loss to Hellenic.

“That was her first game of soccer and all I said to her before the game was put pressure on your opponents and use the ball when you get it, everything we do in footy and she adjusted really well,’’ Ponter said.