By her personal assertion, Emma O’Driscoll is an elite athlete as a result of of her household. Born in Northam, a farming city within the central wheatbelt area of Western Australia, the Fremantle Dockers AFLW participant may have simply been certain for a standard life in agriculture.
“I grew up in a farming household in Northam, [a place] the place girls had conventional roles in comparison with males. I suppose, in a farming household, the boys would work, whereas girls wouldn’t. I feel I all the time grew up understanding that’s really not what I wished to do,” O’Driscoll mirrored.
“I’m very lucky that my dad and mom moved off the farm, however additionally that my mum married into the household being a actually sturdy unbiased lady who performed high-level sport. [She] instilled these values and, I suppose, only a dream of you can really do no matter you need to do. So, I feel I’m very fortunate to have mum and my Nana on my mum’s facet, their values sunk in from a really younger age for me.”
Rising up in a sports-oriented household, with two footy-loving brothers, it’s of no shock that O’Driscoll was eager to comply with go well with, with goals of knowledgeable sports activities profession and college.
“I grew up eager to play skilled netball and discover a physiotherapy pathway — to go to uni and forge that path for myself I suppose,” she mentioned.
“Whereas my youthful brothers have been all the time instructed that they may play elite footy, and so they may receives a commission to play sport. So for them, from a really younger age, they have been instructed ‘that’s what you are able to do — go and do it’.”
While her brothers, Nathan and Aiden, had a transparent pathway in sport, O’Driscoll acknowledges that it meant she needed to take ‘maintain of her life’ and actively pursue her sporting targets. She credit the assist of her household in that journey — her brothers within the crowd at her netball video games and O’Driscoll cheering the boys on from the footy boundary.
‘I’ve all the time been so happy with my brothers. They’d all the time come to all my netball video games, and I’d go to observe them play footy. We all the time supported each other,” O’Driscoll mirrored.
Time spent on the boundary of her brother’s footy video games meant that regardless of not enjoying, O’Driscoll knew quite a bit concerning the recreation. The three siblings shared loads of banter off-field — Nathan, a religious Fremantle Dockers fan, and the remainder of the household staunch West Coast Eagles supporters. Of their yard, they might eagerly play ‘King of the Pack’ and attempt to out mark one another in competitors for the footy.
“We’d get footy playing cards yearly, and all the time banter over who had the perfect playing cards — I was all the time surrounded by footy. We’d assist one another in what we wished to do, so when it acquired the purpose the place I made the change to play soccer, my brothers have been essentially the most supportive of me.”
It was throughout her ultimate 12 months of college when O’Driscoll determined to make that change, initially parking her netball profession to take up footy, for enjoyable. She performed in a week-long nation carnival, representing Northam Senior Excessive College and regardless of a rocky begin, was hooked.
“Day one, I used to be sporting some hand-me-down boots from considered one of my finest mates Zac, they didn’t even have any internal soles in them! I They didn’t match my toes and I’m sporting them for this this nation carnival — I rolled my ankle within the second recreation, and I simply thought ‘this sport just isn’t for me’. However nonetheless I acquired it taped up and I performed out the week,’ O’Driscoll laughed.
‘By some means, I really received the finest participant for the carnival, which was an enormous shock, as a result of I actually couldn’t kick! if I’m being fully trustworthy, it was in all probability one thing for being essentially the most mongrel on the market.’
Off the again of her ‘mongrel’ efficiency, O’Driscoll was invited to trial for the State 18s group in 2017, simply because the nationwide league was coming into fruition. She counts her timing as ‘good’, efficiently making the transition from netball to soccer and into the State Squad.
“I went all the way down to a State coaching session, it was a trial, like a come-and-try day that I used to be invited to. I keep in mind operating round, enjoying and I copped successful to the face — and if anybody is aware of me, at any time when I play soccer, I bleed someplace,” she recalled, laughing.
“I ended up getting this huge bloody nostril, and I keep in mind going as much as Trent Cooper, who was the coach on the time, on the finish of the day. I used to be like ‘thanks a lot for having me Trent’, and blood is pissing out of my nostril and my mouth, and I’m spraying his white shirt.”
The gifted footballer made a long-lasting impression, receiving a name the next week from Cooper to let her know that she had made the group — and that his white shirt would by no means be the identical.
Regardless of being the final in her fast household to come back to football, O’Driscoll was the primary of her siblings to be drafted to the nationwide competitors, incomes a spot on the Fremantle AFLW checklist as decide 27 in 2019. Nathan adopted the 12 months after, touchdown on the similar membership as his sister, while Aiden was drafted to the Western Bulldogs in 2023.
At 19 years outdated, after enjoying for Swan Districts within the WAFLW, and finishing two seasons with the State 18s, the younger footballer abruptly discovered herself taking over the challenges of an elite sporting program.
“It was powerful, I didn’t know what I used to be doing,” O’Driscoll laughed.
“I’m simply grateful that I had such a supportive surroundings round me — truthfully, the ladies, the membership, the coaches, the workers — so welcoming. Particularly as a result of we had lots of athletes that have been coming from different sports activities as effectively … the surroundings needed to be inclusive, and it needed to be academic — it needed to be as [we] have been studying each single recreation. I used to be very, very grateful for the ladies embracing me.”
O’Driscoll credit the optimistic tradition at Fremantle to her confidence and belonging in that first 12 months, with the footballer making her backline debut in Week 4 of the 2020 NAB AFLW Season towards St Kilda.
Since that first season, O’Driscoll has gone from energy to energy. The gifted defensive participant has acquired three consecutive ‘22 below 22’ accolades, and simply final 12 months, to cap off a large season, earned runner-up honours in her membership finest & fairest and was awarded a spot in an the AFLW All-Australian facet. O’Driscoll is fast to level to her household as the rationale behind this success; they maintain her grounded and remind her of the rationale that she and her siblings play the sport they love.
“They’re a very powerful folks in my life; I actually wouldn’t be the place I’m with out my household and with out mum driving us to Perth 3 times per week after we have been making an attempt to come back down for netball and soccer trainings. I feel that in itself exhibits the dedication and dedication that we knew we wanted to have to play on the highest stage,” mirrored O’Driscoll.
“I’m without end going to be pleased about that, my household imply all the pieces, they’re my primary supporters.”
This assist is echoed again when O’Driscoll speaks of her brothers. When Nathan joined Fremantle the 12 months after she had been drafted, she was over the moon with pleasure.
“We have been so excited for each other; his draft day was in all probability the perfect day of my life, it was really extra vital than my very own draft day! Realizing that I’d see my brother, [who] from six years outdated wished to develop as much as be an AFL footballer, and it was about to occur for him. And to Freo as effectively, it was a second that I can’t even describe — like goosebumps throughout my physique, uncooked emotion from everybody, simply the truth that we may stay this dream out collectively.”
Youngest brother Aiden adopted their path into elite footy in 2023, named for the Western Bulldogs at decide 55 within the nationwide draft. Devastatingly, his time within the AFL surroundings ended earlier than it even started — compelled to medically retire earlier this 12 months, after struggling a extreme head damage in a pre-season apply match. The close-knit household have navigated the powerful blow collectively, with the expertise giving O’Driscoll pause for thought; she is much more grateful to be enjoying the sport and enjoying it for Aiden.
“It’s been actually powerful, particularly after we have been over right here, and he was in Melbourne by himself, not know understanding what the decision was,” she mentioned of the incident.
“And for Nathan and I, we’re so grateful each single time we get to lace up boots, understanding that our brother can’t try this anymore, and understanding that it’s unsafe for him to do this. I feel it simply brings it again to that sport isn’t the be-all and end-all. There are lots of different nice issues about Aiden and there are lot of issues that he’ll be capable of do and discover function in now. It actually grounds you on an entire different stage and brings it again to that central cause why you play.”
That motivation and grounding has put O’Driscoll in good stead for 2024, along with her facet already registering a dominant win over Essendon in Week 1 of the NAB AFLW Season. The group have skilled loads of change prior to now few seasons, however the defender takes all of it in her stride. In 2024, she has change into a recognised chief of the enjoying group, alongside new captain Ange Stannett, Hayley Miller, Aine Tighe, Laura Pugh and Ash Brazill.
“I’m very grateful to be a pacesetter, understanding that there are such a lot of nice leaders round me. It’s an space that I wished to proceed to develop, and I’ve full confidence within the management group to assist me develop … [we are] going to do some nice issues this 12 months. I’m pumped, I’m so excited!” O’Driscoll mentioned.
“That’s the rationale I play footy, to have enjoyable with my ladies. I feel that’s why you find yourself creating, but additionally why I performed the way in which I did final 12 months — I actually go away my again on the market for the ladies each week. I’m going to proceed to do this, whatever the particular person accolades, that’s not what we’re there for. We’re there to play with [our] finest mates, have enjoyable and hopefully win a flag quickly!”
