WALL BUILDS HER CAREER DOWN UNDER
VIKKI WALL says her enjoyment and appreciation of the AFLW game is growing week by week.
The Meath icon is five games into her North Melbourne career and, with four goals scored and the club seventh in the table, it’s going pretty well.
There are five more rounds to run before the top eight of 18 teams will be siphoned off in late October for the final series of knock-out games.
Back in Meath, they’re hoping to see Wall in green again in 2023 though if former boss Eamonn Murray is correct, and she becomes the ‘face of the AFLW’, she mightn’t be back.
The AFLW won’t confirm next year’s schedule until late in the year, after which Wall says she’ll make her decision regarding any potential return with Meath.
“It’s a completely different game down here which, to contradict myself, does have a lot of similarities with the game at home,” said
Wall.
“Gaelic is obviously a sport I love and that I’ve been playing since I was nine or 10.
“It’s a difficult one to compare when people ask you that question.
“As a whole, week by week, I am enjoying it more.
“The more you understand it, the more you can enjoy it and push yourself to kind of make a bigger impact.”
The powerful forward struck her first AFLW goal against Adelaide in Round 3 and added two more against Geelong next time out.
With an average of just five kicks per game, she admits a lot of it is about being smart while out of possession.
The 24-year-old said: “I don’t know the stats off the top of my head for Gaelic, it’s definitely not as stats driven at home, but I would imagine I touch the ball a lot more at home.
“Structure-wise and things like that, you’re always paying attention and switched on and that’s probably one of the biggest transitions I’ve experienced.”
Wall insisted on wearing the number 13 jersey at the club, like she did with Meath.
She said: “I said I’d stick with the jersey I’ve been wearing for the last few years back at home, to draw on that and have a bit of home with me when I’m playing.”
Away from the club, she shares a house with Cork’s Erika O’Shea.
It’s only 13 months since they were marking each other in Meath’s extra-time All-Ireland semi-final win over Cork at Croke Park.
Wall smiled: “That doesn’t come up too much.”
Impressive
O’Shea, like Wall, has played in each of the Kangaroos’ five games. Her development has been impressive given that she’s just turned 20.
Wall said: “I’m glad I waited until I’m this age. I’m 24 now so I’m probably at a stage where I feel more confident coming over here.
“I don’t know how I would have fared at a younger age. Erika is taking it in her stride and it’s great to see.”
Wall left Ireland with a bang in August when, immediately after collecting back to back AllIreland titles, she spoke of the ‘nonsense’ that is the no-contact rule.
She said: “There’s definitely room for improvement on the physicality in ladies Gaelic.
“If I could take anything from here, it would probably be the physicality and defining a tackle and stuff like that.”
VIKKI WALL was
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speaking at the launch of the next phase of the National Dairy Council’s ‘From the Ground Up’ campaign.
The campaign highlights the hard work top athletes and dairy farmers have in common.