Family and AFLW desire drive Simmonds to top
IT HAS always been a matter of if, not when, for Stephanie Simmonds with the Sherrin in hand.
With an older sister who has created history in the AFL, she has grown up with the perfect mentor.
Now she has the AFL Townsville best-and-fairest medal to show for her efforts.
Simmonds capped off a remarkable 2021 season, one which featured the Curra Swans’ first women’s premiership.
She also finished as the competition’s leading goal scorer (44 goals) to go with her BL Koenen medal.
Despite growing up in Perth with an Aussie rules crazed family, this year was just Simmonds’ second campaign in the sport.
Back when she was a kid, junior girls’ AFL was still very much in its infancy, and having a punt with her sister Gabby was about as close to the action as she could get.
It was those muck-around games which berthed the pair’s love affair with the game, and led to Gabby becoming the first woman to field umpired a men’s WAFL game.
Watching how her older sibling has made a name for herself in the AFL, even in the face of consistent berating from parochial crowds, has been a constant source of inspiration for Simmonds whenever she takes the field.
Simmonds said without that role model, she would not have become the athlete and person she is today.
“She makes sure I behave. She’s honestly been a great mentor for me in general, she actually makes me humble,” she said.
“There are times you get caught up (with how you’re playing) and she sits you down. I’m not saying I’m that great, but she gives me good constructive criticism and
how to go about the game.
“She’s probably the most resilient person I know, she’s a big one for me. When I play footy, I think of people I play for and my sister is definitely up there. I think even without realising herself growing up she’s been a big figure for me in how I am as a person and how I behave on the field.
“Being an umpire, you have to be pretty strong
minded and keep your mouth shut. She’s copped a fair amount of abuse her whole career, but with the way she goes about life, any hard hurdles that come her way, she can tackle them down, nothing can break her, really.
“It’s really good to see that growing up, you sort of think I can’t really complain about life too much when she does it the way she does.”
Simmonds finished on top in the race to the BL Koenen medal with 28 votes, seven clear of runner-up Emma Hannigan from University Hawks.
Lauded by Curra coach Meg Greenland for her creativity in front of goal, Simmonds said her approach was often a matter of getting too excited, producing moments that surprised even herself.
But every point she accrued she said was a team gain, adamant she was only able to accomplish such feats because of the service her historic Swans teammates gave her.
However now that she has had a taste of success, she wants more. Now her sights are set on the AFLW.
Simmonds has put plans in place to move to Adelaide next year in an attempt to impress in the highly regarded SAAFL competition, with a goal of featuring for the Port Adelaide Power when it joins the national league in 2023.
There are family reasons behind it too, Simmonds says, with the Covid-19 pandemic making travel from Queensland to Western Australia to see her loved ones another challenge to factor.
With the elation of her side’s grand final triumph still lingering, memories of the mass celebration pile-up clear as day, Simmonds said it would be difficult to leave behind her first Aussie rules family.
Whenever she sensed the need to improve a facet of her game, Simmonds was straight on the phone to the likes of teammate Eliza Oates to go for a kick.
It is those moments she will remember on her next journey.
However having achieved all she now can in the Townsville league, she said the time had come to test herself against the best of the best.
And it would be for those who made sacrifices for her she would strive for those goals.
“I’d like to expand my experience and see how much my skill levels are set in a more competitive league,” Simmonds said.
“WA is all shut to the eastern states; Adelaide seems to be a lot more settled with their Covid and travelling to WA is a bit easier.
“I’d like to go there with easier access to go home, but I’ve never been to Adelaide before. I’ve heard some really good things, and I like getting out of my comfort zone, experiencing new places to go and situations to be in.
“I’m playing for those who put the effort in for me as much as I put the effort in to myself. I want to grow as a person and all that corny stuff.”