Plenty to crow about

We spoke to Crows fan favourites Sarah Perkins and Ebony Marinoff ahead of their second AFLW season.

By Lauren Reid
Last updated on: February 13, 2018 at 1:34 pm

When samotor arrives for our interview at the Crows’ West Lakes headquarters, it’s the day before the women’s team has their Christmas dinner, and Sarah Perkins is awaiting the arrival of the present she’s ordered for her Kris Kringle.

It’s a calendar filled with old photos of her teammates – some daggier than others.

“I rushed it a bit, but the joke’ll still be worth it. There’s some real pearlers in there,” she laughs.

It’s refreshing to see how candid the women are, and to hear how the sense of fun and friendship –which was so apparent on-field during the inaugural AFLW season – carries over into their off-field lives.

“We all have our quirks and we’re all different, but as soon as we walked through those doors, we were family, and that’s something Bec [Goddard, Crows coach] encouraged from the start,” says Perkins.

Sarah Perkins and Ebony Marinoff at the Crows' West Lakes training centre

Meanwhile, teammate Ebony Marinoff has just finished doing a gym session alongside some of the male Crows. She says adjusting to elite training has been a challenge, but her love of the game has gotten her through. She’s been impressed by how many of the male team members have rallied around to support the women – especially fan favourite Eddie Betts.

“Oh, I love Eddie. He’ll just sit down and have a normal conversation with you for half an hour – about footy, about life. Seriously, he’s so generous and just one of the greatest humans,” says Marinoff.

Of course, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for the women in their first year of AFL. The step up to elite training was extremely sudden – they hadn’t been preparing for it since they were kids like many of our professional male players – and they had to try and squeeze training and games in around full-time jobs.

And then of course, there were the naysayers, which Perkins says they choose to ignore.

“If you see the keyboard warriors making comments about how we play, they’re obviously watching. So, you just push on.

“The way I’m seeing it is we’ve only had eight games. But we’ve got another eight rounds in 2018 and then after that, as it keeps going and keeps growing, we’ve just got more opportunities to improve and to prove why we deserve to be here. You keep on working hard – and you keep having fun,” she says.

This positive outlook and determination to improve will surely be serving the team well this year, after a shaky start to the 2018 season.

Adelaide Crows AFLW players Sarah Perkins and Ebony Marinoff at the West Lakes headquarters

The pure joy on the women’s faces as they ran out to start a game, or as they watched a teammate kick a thumping goal, was one of the best things about watching the first AFLW season.

“Just seeing some of my mates grow and play the kind of footy I know they can play is amazing in itself… just seeing them strive and improve is something I really enjoy,” says Perkins.

Ebony Marinoff's grand final stats

Marinoff was dominant in the 2017 grand final, racking up 20 disposals despite the shortened format of the AFLW games.

The persistence of the women who’d gone before them was, and continues to be, a big motivating factor. Until recently, female footballers had no top-level professional league to aspire to and often had to give up footy when they hit their teens, so it’s an opportunity Marinoff says they’re not taking for granted.

“So many women came up to me and told me how they wish they’d been able to play when they were young, and how it must be such a dream,” says Marinoff. “But to be honest, I never even imagined it would be possible, so it’s beyond a dream.”

How tall is Sarah Perkins?

She may be an imposing figure on the footy field, but Sarah Perkins isn’t actually as tall as you might expect.

The visibility and promotion of women’s sport is important for its ongoing growth and success, but the added significance of the Crows’ position as inaugural Premiers (and underdogs, at that) isn’t lost on Marinoff.

“People didn’t expect us to win last year, so there was no pressure. We just took things one quarter of footy at a time… we just had a go, and we did it. But that’s done now, it’s a new year. And it’s exciting,” says Marinoff. Perkins agrees.

AFLW Crows players Sarah Perkins and Ebony Marinoff walking out of the West Lakes training grounds

“For me personally, I feel like we’ve finally got that opportunity to get women’s football out there and showcase what we’ve been doing for years anyway,” says Perkins.

“Any pressure we feel just comes from the fact that now we’ve had this chance, we’ve got to keep getting better and keep proving why women’s footy deserves to still be here 100-plus years from now,” she says.

As for their hopes for the future of the league, Perkins says it’s pretty simple.

“I want to see all the little girls running around in Auskick jumpers now, playing in the AFL in 10 or 15 years’ time and just having fun playing footy. That little girl at Auskick, running around with a smile on her face; you just want her to have her dream like we’re all living now.”

Images by Mike Smith Photography.

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