Fish frenzy as AFLW 'super draft' hype gathers steam

The Advertiser

3 days ago

Comparisons with the 2001 draft that produced Chris Judd, Luke Hodge and Gary Ablett have already begun.
AFLW No.1 draft pick Ash Centra has only played one game, but Collingwood coach Sam Wright doesn't need a crystal ball to believe the teenager could tear the competition apart.
Sydney counterpart Scott Gowans had the same to say after watching Zippy Fish light up North Sydney Oval from half-back.
The 19-year-old, selected with pick No.5 in last year's first AFLW national draft, finished with 26 disposals and nine intercepts on debut against Richmond.
It is the equal-highest disposal tally on debut, a record she shares with Collingwood star Bri Davey - who was 22 when the one-time league best-and-fairest played her first game in 2017.
In the years that separate Fish's debut from Davey's, a generation of girls have trekked an uninterrupted pathway to AFLW from Auskick.
Fish only started playing football four years ago, adding further testament to her talent.
After almost a decade of watching Lance Franklin terrorise opposition defenders, Sydney fans will have to get used to the sight of the No.23 guernsey in reverse.
"Ever since I started (playing football), I knew that this is what I wanted to do," Fish said.
"And coming out here tonight, having the girls around me and the whole support of the club, it really did meet expectations."
Swans skipper Chloe Molloy notices the shift between draft cohorts.
"Ball in hand, the cool, calm, nonchalant nature as well," Molloy told AAP.
"The decisions she makes coming out of the back line is just second to none - she doesn't even think about it.
"You ask her, 'what were you thinking?' and she goes 'not much'.
"Just to be so naive of talent - she's just a silky player, and that's what we love."
Centra, on limited minutes after a pre-season hip complaint, had only three disposals but clunked a huge contested mark and snagged a goal with her first kick against Carlton.
The 19-year-old, as nonchalant as Fish, also introduced a new trick to the footy world.
Warming up, Centra bounced the Sherrin behind her and threaded it between her legs.
Players in the men's competition have since tried to replicate her.
First-round draft picks flaunted their talent across the nation in the season's opening round.
Lucia Painter kicked 3.1 from 13 disposals for West Coast, while Gold Coast's Havana Harris stunned with a great pack mark.
Essendon debutant Holly Ridewood kicked two goals against GWS, and Adelaide's India Rasheed (one goal, 15 disposals) starred in their loss to St Kilda.
Established AFLW star Molloy may have slotted four goals on return from a knee reconstruction, but it was Fish who had a chorus of young girls screaming her name post-game in a bid to get her signature.
Among the crowd were 16 family members who made the trip from WA.
"I've kind of just gone from one to one," Fish laughed.
Comparisons with the 2001 draft that produced Chris Judd, Luke Hodge and Gary Ablett have already begun.
AFLW No.1 draft pick Ash Centra has only played one game, but Collingwood coach Sam Wright doesn't need a crystal ball to believe the teenager could tear the competition apart.
Sydney counterpart Scott Gowans had the same to say after watching Zippy Fish light up North Sydney Oval from half-back.
The 19-year-old, selected with pick No.5 in last year's first AFLW national draft, finished with 26 disposals and nine intercepts on debut against Richmond.
It is the equal-highest disposal tally on debut, a record she shares with Collingwood star Bri Davey - who was 22 when the one-time league best-and-fairest played her first game in 2017.
In the years that separate Fish's debut from Davey's, a generation of girls have trekked an uninterrupted pathway to AFLW from Auskick.
Fish only started playing football four years ago, adding further testament to her talent.
After almost a decade of watching Lance Franklin terrorise opposition defenders, Sydney fans will have to get used to the sight of the No.23 guernsey in reverse.
"Ever since I started (playing football), I knew that this is what I wanted to do," Fish said.
"And coming out here tonight, having the girls around me and the whole support of the club, it really did meet expectations."
Swans skipper Chloe Molloy notices the shift between draft cohorts.
"Ball in hand, the cool, calm, nonchalant nature as well," Molloy told AAP.
"The decisions she makes coming out of the back line is just second to none - she doesn't even think about it.
"You ask her, 'what were you thinking?' and she goes 'not much'.
"Just to be so naive of talent - she's just a silky player, and that's what we love."
Centra, on limited minutes after a pre-season hip complaint, had only three disposals but clunked a huge contested mark and snagged a goal with her first kick against Carlton.
The 19-year-old, as nonchalant as Fish, also introduced a new trick to the footy world.
Warming up, Centra bounced the Sherrin behind her and threaded it between her legs.
Players in the men's competition have since tried to replicate her.
First-round draft picks flaunted their talent across the nation in the season's opening round.
Lucia Painter kicked 3.1 from 13 disposals for West Coast, while Gold Coast's Havana Harris stunned with a great pack mark.
Essendon debutant Holly Ridewood kicked two goals against GWS, and Adelaide's India Rasheed (one goal, 15 disposals) starred in their loss to St Kilda.
Established AFLW star Molloy may have slotted four goals on return from a knee reconstruction, but it was Fish who had a chorus of young girls screaming her name post-game in a bid to get her signature.
Among the crowd were 16 family members who made the trip from WA.
"I've kind of just gone from one to one," Fish laughed.
Comparisons with the 2001 draft that produced Chris Judd, Luke Hodge and Gary Ablett have already begun.
AFLW No.1 draft pick Ash Centra has only played one game, but Collingwood coach Sam Wright doesn't need a crystal ball to believe the teenager could tear the competition apart.
Sydney counterpart Scott Gowans had the same to say after watching Zippy Fish light up North Sydney Oval from half-back.
The 19-year-old, selected with pick No.5 in last year's first AFLW national draft, finished with 26 disposals and nine intercepts on debut against Richmond.
It is the equal-highest disposal tally on debut, a record she shares with Collingwood star Bri Davey - who was 22 when the one-time league best-and-fairest played her first game in 2017.
In the years that separate Fish's debut from Davey's, a generation of girls have trekked an uninterrupted pathway to AFLW from Auskick.
Fish only started playing football four years ago, adding further testament to her talent.
After almost a decade of watching Lance Franklin terrorise opposition defenders, Sydney fans will have to get used to the sight of the No.23 guernsey in reverse.
"Ever since I started (playing football), I knew that this is what I wanted to do," Fish said.
"And coming out here tonight, having the girls around me and the whole support of the club, it really did meet expectations."
Swans skipper Chloe Molloy notices the shift between draft cohorts.
"Ball in hand, the cool, calm, nonchalant nature as well," Molloy told AAP.
"The decisions she makes coming out of the back line is just second to none - she doesn't even think about it.
"You ask her, 'what were you thinking?' and she goes 'not much'.
"Just to be so naive of talent - she's just a silky player, and that's what we love."
Centra, on limited minutes after a pre-season hip complaint, had only three disposals but clunked a huge contested mark and snagged a goal with her first kick against Carlton.
The 19-year-old, as nonchalant as Fish, also introduced a new trick to the footy world.
Warming up, Centra bounced the Sherrin behind her and threaded it between her legs.
Players in the men's competition have since tried to replicate her.
First-round draft picks flaunted their talent across the nation in the season's opening round.
Lucia Painter kicked 3.1 from 13 disposals for West Coast, while Gold Coast's Havana Harris stunned with a great pack mark.
Essendon debutant Holly Ridewood kicked two goals against GWS, and Adelaide's India Rasheed (one goal, 15 disposals) starred in their loss to St Kilda.
Established AFLW star Molloy may have slotted four goals on return from a knee reconstruction, but it was Fish who had a chorus of young girls screaming her name post-game in a bid to get her signature.
Among the crowd were 16 family members who made the trip from WA.
"I've kind of just gone from one to one," Fish laughed.