Crow’s short path to glory

SHE stands 153cm tall, one of the shortest footballers in the AFLW, but Adelaide midfielder Rachelle Martin’s impact on the Crows premiership tilt this weekend will be enormous.

Drafted into the team this season after playing one game in the tricolours in 2020 as an injury replacement player, the 22-year-old, pictured, has played six games and become a fan favourite in that time thanks to her tough-as-nails approach at the contest and tackle-ready attitude.

As Crows head of football Phil Harper said of her: “You can’t help but love the way she plays because she’s just a terrier”.

Martin had a career-high 10 tackles in the Round 9 win over Collingwood, cementing the minor premiership, and she followed that with three tackles in the Crows’ preliminary final win over Melbourne.

The on-field pressure she applies – even if it’s simply perceived – has given more freedom to the seasoned midfielders of the likes of Ebony Marinoff and Anne Hatchard.

But 12 months ago, it looked like a solid spot on an AFLW list was a pipedream for Martin, after being told time and time again that she was too small to play elite-level football.

“I’ve had to work hard to make them look past my height in some way,” Martin said, adding she put work into her fitness, improved her running, built muscle in the gym and perfected her tackle technique.

It paid off when she was drafted with Adelaide’s No. 45 pick at the 2020 AFLW Draft and has been delighted to be playing alongside her sister, 2019 premiership-winner Hannah Button.

Button, who has also upped her tackle count this season to average a career-best 6.3 tackles a game, said she was so proud of Martin for working hard to achieving her goal of playing at the top level.

“She really put in the work, the conditioning, her gym work, and working on the feedback from the coaches, it all combined and helped her to get where she is now,” Button said.

“She knew she had to emphasise the strengths that she had, because obviously if height’s a barrier then she had to make her strengths shine beyond.’’