COURTNEY Wakefield is a great case study in how dedication and hard work can bring true a country girl’s sporting dream.
Despite the tyranny of distance, and life taking a different turn as a sheep farmer’s wife and motherhood just over four years ago, Wakefield never flinched from her goal of hitting the big time in women’s football.
At the age of 31, she attended a Richmond Talent ID Day in Bendigo, just seven weeks after giving birth to her second child.
She was good enough to be picked up by Richmond ahead of the club’s initial VFLW season in 2018, making the 1200km round trip to Melbourne from her home at Top Hut Station for training sessions and games.
Wakefield was then selected in the club’s inaugural AFLW list, quickly establishing herself as one of the competition’s best key forwards.
Last Saturday, she called time on what’s been a trailblazing football career that began in Sunraysia.
Reflecting on her career this week, Wakefield did concede there were doubts on whether she could crack it at the top level.
“Especially once I settled down at Top Hut and had kids. The last thing I ever thought I’d be doing was playing four seasons of AFLW with Richmond,” Wakefield told me.
“But I had a big dream and somehow I made the impossible possible.”
Indeed, her best year came in Season 7 of AFLW, booting 14 goals, playing finals and earning selection in the All-Australian squad of 42.
Asked if there was a moment this year she knew it was time to call it quits, she said: “It’s a good question, but I really don’t think there was a moment as such.
“I think I would have finished up last season if I wasn’t injured.
“Given our location and having young kids (Tilly and Sid), it’s time for me to be back home full-time and be part of what I love: life on the farm with family.
“I want to get stuck into our (sheep farming) business back home.”
“Court” gave husband Tom a big shout-out for his role in the fulfilment of her footy dream.
“Tom’s changed the stereotype of a typical farmer now,” she said.
“When we got married, I still had individual dreams and goals that I wanted to achieve and he’s allowed me to do that.
“He’s been behind me every step of the way. Tom doesn’t love football, but he knows how important it is to me.
“Mind you, he’s come to love to the social side of the game,” she added with a laugh.
Wakefield will now be in hot demand from local footy clubs for her services in 2023.
But as much as she wants to give back to local footy, her main allegiance is set to remain with the Wentworth Roos’ A Grade netball team.
“I’m lucky to have been a Wenty Roo girl for about 10 years, and we’ve had some wonderful success, including this year,” Wakefield said.
“Tilly will start playing netball next year, so I’ll be around the club. But Tom and I would like to expand our family as well.
“Who knows, but netball is definitely high on the list.”
AFL Sunraysia participation co-ordinator David Kennedy didn’t miss a beat in trying to get Wakefield more involved with local girls aspiring to follow in her footsteps.
“When I saw her retire after the game on Saturday, I was a bit excited,” he said.
“I whizzed her a text message straight after the game and said, ‘Congratulations on a great career. I’ll look forward to working with you in the future’.
“I’m hoping she’ll jump on board with us. She’s been great for us before.
“We want to leverage off Courtney more, along with (St Kilda captain) Hannah Priest, who comes back here a bit to help us promote the game.
“The girls’ game is where the real growth is going to come in football here.”
Wakefield said she would “love to keep giving back at the grassroots level of football”.
Her advice for the next generation of female footballers is both priceless and powerful.
“Work hard and seize the moment. Don’t think you’ve made it even when you arrive at an AFLW level,” she said.
“In actual fact, that’s where the hard work begins.”
‘I just want to be myself’
IT’S a story that shouldn’t be big news in 2022.
No gay athlete should feel ashamed of who they are.
But Melbourne United basketballer Isaac Humphries made international headlines this week when he came out.
The centre has become the only openly gay player in a top-tier men’s basketball league around the globe.
It obviously takes an enormous amount of courage for a top-level athlete to come out. And well done to Isaac for taking what shouldn’t have to be a bold step.
At a local level, I would hope gay athletes felt comfortable in coming out.
But why is there even the need for it?
Every person should be accepted for who they are, regardless of their sexuality, colour or creed.
In certain sports, homophobia has long been commonplace in the terraces.
I remember when South Sydney rugby league player Ian Roberts came out in the mid-1990s while still playing.
He described it at the time as the game’s “worst-kept secret”.
It certainly took a mountain of courage to come out in the macho world of rugby league.
Roberts said his parents had stopped attending his games because of the abuse that Roberts was copping in the crowd over his sexuality.
No other NRL player has come out since Roberts. Nor has there been an AFL player.
It’s an indictment on society in 2022 that gay people still fear coming out.
Humphries said he just wants to be himself.
In sharing his announcement via video on social media, he said: “We, as athletes, as professional athletes, have a responsibility to set examples for people.
“The truth is there are so many people in other worlds that are struggling every single day and don’t know how to get up, (and) don’t know how to exist. I know how that feels, and I want to represent those people.
“That’s my goal behind this: make sure people know you can be whatever you want, no matter who you are or what you do. You can do whatever you want. It has nothing to do with your sexuality, or who you are, or who you’re meant to be, or who you’re expected to be. I just want to be myself.
“I discovered this is my purpose in life, and I’m going to give it my best go.”
All power to you, Isaac.
