Grievance Debate

AFL National Women's League

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (15:12): I rise to heartily congratulate the Adelaide Crows women on their historic and magnificent AFLW grand final win, a win that speaks to the outstanding talent, extraordinary courage and inspiring team spirit and camaraderie inherent in this remarkable group of women. Throughout the season, this team enthralled fans with their skill, relentless endeavour and positivity. On Sunday, they moved many of the 53,034 strong crowd to the heights of joy and, in some instances, to tears—53,000-plus people who forged a new attendance record for a domestic women's sporting contest in Australia.

Winning with a final score of 10 goals 3 points, this game held us captivated with a number of highs and lows throughout. With Carlton out early, there were some initial nerves, but we soon settled, with Anne Hatchard scoring Adelaide's first goal, followed quickly by a goal each from Ailish Considine and Eloise Jones, three in total from Danielle Ponter and two from Erin Phillips. There was relentless, tough tackling from all and incredible on-oval and in-stands celebrations of goals, marks and every step toward victory taken.

The 53,000-plus, however, were also heartbroken when Chloe Scheer was taken off with a suspected ACL injury, when Carlton's Tayla Harris was taken off with a knee injury—luckily, she returned later in the game—and when extraordinary leader, Erin Phillips, was stretchered from the Oval in the third quarter. Every person was deeply moved at this moment when she bravely waved to the crowd. When Carlton and Adelaide players alike offered support and wished her the best, thousands jumped to their feet and clapped this sporting legend as she left the Oval and did so again when she returned on crutches to be awarded best on ground.

In another deeply moving moment, legendary first AFLW grand final winning coach, the clever, engaging, driven and inspiring Bec Goddard, presented the coach's medal to this year's brilliant coach, Matthew Clarke. This team exemplifies why sport is important and what sport has the power to do.

Before the commencement of the first season of the AFL Women's competition, there were around 16 clubs with women's teams here in South Australia. Since its advent, there are now well over 100 and it continues to grow and flourish. This team is a shining example of what the saying 'If she can't see it, she can't be it' actually means. Their trailblazing football, their conduct on and off the oval and the pathway from community football that they now complete have all ensured that girls and women are inspired by this twice premiership-winning team to follow their football and other sporting dreams because they know that they can and because they know that they are welcome and supported to participate and succeed.

These women are unfailingly generous in their support of the girls and women who follow them, running numerous clinics around our state and regularly showing up to back other women in the SANFL, Adelaide Footy League and SFL women's competitions and in many other ways. Every time I have asked one of them to speak, or a club or league has asked for their support, they are there for them. As well as managing jobs and study, they give so much of their time, passion and energy to others interested in football or in any sport, to our community and to our collective fight for equality.

So many of us were deeply angered by the treatment of Carlton's Tayla Harris in the lead-up to Sunday's final. Tayla is a woman who should always be celebrated for her startling athleticism, her incredible kick and her leadership. Instead, we saw trolls engage in sexist, derogatory nonsense and, initially, Channel 7 remove a remarkable picture of Tayla to avoid it rather than call those trolls out. Thankfully, Channel 7 reversed that decision and apologised—a very good and well-received move. This saga and other examples of this type of treatment continue to galvanise sportswomen, the many of us who continue to fight for equality in sport and everywhere else, the clubs who genuinely welcome and include women, and so many others.

This group of Adelaide Crows women, and the hundreds of thousands who backed them and their sisters from Carlton, on the weekend took a huge step forward towards equality in sport and everywhere on Sunday. When we see women play football at such a high level as we did on the weekend and see them being supported and celebrated in doing so, the way we see women is transformed. We see them as strong and physical, taking their place in the midst of a contest, not on the sidelines.

This transformation of the way we see the roles of men and women gives us immense opportunity to influence the many other issues of persistent inequality our community confronts. For this, as well as for their spectacular performance on Sunday, I say thank you to these trailblazing women who refused to accept no, who have pushed the boundaries and who have ushered in a new era that will see us together achieve equality in sport and in so many other aspects of community life.

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