into the big league As a junior basketballer with the Bendigo Braves, this would-be footballer never imagined sheâd one day be playing alongside her heroes in the AFLW. By John Holton - Photography by Meg Mullen, Western Bulldogs Former Bendigo Pioneer footballer Annabel Strahan describes the first time she walked the hallowed halls of the Whitten Oval as a moment of pure awe. âThe facilities and the history of the club are quite overwhelming,â she says. âTaking to the field with my teammates for the first time, after watching them on TV, was both weird and incredibly exciting. âI still pinch myself some nights as I leave training, thinking how lucky I am to be doing this.â It was hard work rather than luck that saw Annabel gain a place on the Western Bulldogs list after initially missing out at the 2021 draft. Like many AFLW players, Annabelâs pathway into footy was as a âcross-coderâ. Having grown up playing basketball, she was part of the Victorian Country High Performance program and played with 54
the Bendigo Braves in under-12 and under-16 teams. âI started playing some local footy in 2018 and found it really freeing,â Annabel says. âI had fallen out of love with basketball â it had become really draining. Footy felt carefree and non-restrictive in comparison.â By 2019, she was playing in the midfield for the Bendigo Pioneers and the following year became co-captain of the team. It was a whirlwind time and her coaches soon gave the impression that AFLW was a real possibility. âThat was when I stepped things up and got stuck into training,â Annabel says, âthough nothing can really prepare you for the standard of AFLW. Getting myself to the same fitness and strength levels as the other girls was a real challenge, but after this yearâs pre-season it felt like my body was there.â
