D’arcy up for expansion
TOWNSVILLE sensation Daisy D’arcy has declared the AFLW is ready for a longer season, as she seeks to take her game to a new level in 2022.
The 18-year-old phenomena started her second preseason at the Gold Coast on Wednesday, determined to bounce back from a winless campaign.
By the end of 2023 it is expected all AFL clubs will have a women’s outfit, too, and D’arcy said the calibre of talent available made the expansion a must. Despite immense ability in rugby union, cricket and football growing up, she said Aussie rules would be where her future lay – desperate to become one of the leading players in the evolving concept.
“The level is phenomenal considering women’s footy hasn’t been around for very long,” D’arcy said. “I definitely reckon we’re able to take it to the next step. We dedicate half our lives to training and getting fit, and working as a team, so I reckon we’re definitely ready to up the season.
“I’ve been pretty excited to just work on one (sport) and see how far I can really go.
“I’ve been training really hard working on different muscles, trying to get bigger and find better ways to help me develop as a player.”
D’arcy was never going to rest on her laurels in the offseason, taking only a onemonth break before setting about cementing herself in the 2022 Suns line-up.
With a new coach in Cameron Joyce taking the reins, and a host of fresh faces in the squad – including first North
ern Rays captain Jacqueline Dupuy – she said it almost felt as exciting as her maiden campaign.
D’arcy showed profound promise in her first season, averaging 7.3 disposals, 4.1 tackles, 3.7 kicks and 3.7 handballs a game. Her efforts were enough to earn her the Players’ Player award.
Even in the off-season the teenager remained in constant contact with her teammates, undergoing gym sessions together in a bid to forge an even tighter unit – one capable of challenging the best in the competition.
As tempting as it may be to think ahead at the eventual growth of the AFLW, D’arcy said her focus was on laying a platform for future success with an immediate approach.
“Our main focus is game by game, and then we’ll see how the other years come by,” she said. “We definitely took away a lot, it was a great learning curve for me and the girls.
“We just have to really back ourselves.
“I’m pretty confident, (we will turn things around). Just looking at some of the players we’ve got and the talent they’re going to bring is exciting.
“They’re all here for a reason, they all have great talent so I’m going to be watching them and learning new ways to take on the footy.”