RITSON HAS ST HILDA’S ON BOARD FOR DEBUT

IF she wasn’t playing AFLW, Molly Ritson may well have been the staff member responsible for escorting more than 300 St Hilda’s students, staff and families to the Suns’ first AFLW home game today.

The former St Hilda’s boarding house assistant has been the talk of the campus this week after making her

AFLW debut against the GWS Giants last Saturday.

And to celebrate her Suns’ homecoming, St Hilda’s reached out to the Suns and booked an entire bay at Metricon Stadium in anticipation of the first home game, against Richmond this afternoon.

“I assume they’ll be the loudest bay,” Ritson said.

“They’re a pretty big sporting school in general and footy is gaining a lot more interest of late with the AFLW so hopefully they can get their own team soon.”

As Ritson ran out onto the field at Blacktown International Sports Park, a number of her former pupils watched on from the Gold Coast.

AFLW hopeful Casey Wynne started boarding at St Hilda’s last year to pursue her football dream.

The 16-year-old watched as Ritson forged the path she hopes to follow in the future.

“We’re all very supportive of Molly,” Wynne said. “She’s been around us and someone we’ve looked up to as boarders. I was in my room watching their game on my computer cheering and hoping they’d get over the line.

“It’s always been a dream of mine since I was a kid to play

so to see the girls league come in now is such a great opportunity for people like me to reach the highest level and represent the Gold Coast.”

The Suns AFLW academy member has never attended a live AFLW game and will join her St Hilda’s colleagues this afternoon at Metricon to cheer on the club.

“We’re all really excited and it’s going to be surreal to see the girls running out on the Gold Coast,” said Wynne, who has tipped the Suns by a goal.

“We’re all a supportive bunch and have got some girls coming from the boarding house plus some day girls and we’re all excited to watch Molly play.”

Ritson, 20, predicted that the Suns faithful would rival the Tiger army for noise as the midfielder prepares to run out for the first time in her home city.

“To play AFLW alone is a massive honour but to do it for your home city makes it that bit more special,” she said.

“It’s our home city so if you add every player up we’ve all got about 10 people each who are coming plus the rest of the community so it’s going to be unreal.”