Clarke ticks off first win, now for premiership
“HOW good is that, you have finally done it.”
Those were the first words Gold Coast’s Arianna Clarke wrote down in her journal after celebrating a win in her AFLW debut for the Brisbane Lions in the grand final replay against Adelaide last weekend.
It was the biggest game of Clarke’s young career but the 18-year-old said it was also the most difficult to recount on paper.
“It was amazing,” Clarke said. “It went so quickly so my memories are all quite vague. I wrote a lot of it down in my sports journal that I have.
“It was a long time coming. I started playing Australian rules when I was seven so it’s been 11 years with this dream in my head and trying to work and train and play games of footy to work up to it.
“To have after everything I have worked for and have that as a reward was amazing.
“I just wanted to enjoy the game and that’s what I did.”
With Clarke’s first dream coming to fruition, the defender is now focused on living out her second – winning the AFLW premiership.
“That is our goal at the Brisbane Lions,” Clarke said. “We are not just there to play footy, we are there to win a premiership and play a good brand of football that people respect.
“If I can win a premiership in my first year that would be so sick.”
Brisbane will need to overcome a highly-rated Western Bulldogs team when they play this weekend at South Pine Sports Complex from 3.35pm if they are to build momentum.
The Bulldogs beat Fremantle by 26-points in Round 1 and Clarke said she will be looking to show more of her skills with ball in hand if selected.
“This week I’ll be looking to run a bit more off halfback.”