ANALYSIS: 'She was the light in the room': Hawk pays emotional tribute to mum as AFLW rises to expectations
Emotions ran high in round one of AFLW as four new teams entered the competition.abc.net.au/news/aflw-round-one-review-18-teams-essendon-hawthorne-sophie-locke/101380944They were the sage words of Hawthorn AFLW coach Bec Goddard when she first embarked on the campaign to get the historic clash between the Bombers and Hawks moved to Docklands Stadium.
From childhood Bombers' fan Maddy Prespakis's passionate tug of the sash after she kicked the sealer, to the many supporters who cried at the joy of having all 18 clubs finally represented on the biggest stage, this was a game of high emotion."Every time I talk about it, I want to cry," Prespakis said to Nat Edwards after the game.
Why not do what cricket did with the T20 women's world cup and challenge the two clubs — with a combined membership of 150,000 — to fill the ground by giving it the stage it deserved all along?Victorious Essendon coach Nat Wood echoed Goddard's sentiments after the game, saying the choice of a bigger stadium was appropriate as the league moved towards greater professionalisation.
As the ball sailed truly into the crowd, the 21-year-old kissed her black armband and pointed to the sky before being mobbed by her teammates.Locke's mum Sarah died of cancer two weeks earlier, nine years after she was first diagnosed with breast cancer."I didn't think I was going to get paid the mark, to be honest, but when I took it I was like, 'oh my god, this is happening.
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