Now everyone knows her middle name.
Booooooooo.
It has been far from a conventional journey, but gun Essendon forward Federica Frew is finally living out her childhood dream of starring at AFLW level.
After struggling to find avenues into womenâs football as a youngster in suburban New South Wales, the now-26-year-old Frew took up soccer in her youth, a path that would lead her into a scholarship playing NCAA collegiate sport in America.
Despite her true passion lying with the oval ball, Frew told The Bonnie T & Maddy P Podcast midweek her experience with soccer overseas from 2015-2019 held her sporting career in good stead.
âI went over mostly for the experience. I loved soccer but it was never my passion, my biggest goal with it was to play overseas and going to college was the perfect solution,â Frew said, speaking on The Bonnie T and Maddy P Podcast.
â[American college sport] is kind of like what you see in the movies, theyâre just obsessed and itâs awesome. As an international student you donât know anyone, you can get swallowed up. Iâm big on the family vibes and going to a smaller school allowed me to feel a bit more at home, so I really loved itâ.
After nearly four years away from Australian soil, it was a recommendation from a friend that managed to sway Frew back into a chance at reaching the highest levels of footy.
With Essendonâs VFLW program hosting trials for list spots in early 2019, and Frew still needing to return to the States to complete her communications degree, her reluctant agreement to try out paid dividends.
âIâve got to pinch myself all the time about where I am now. I wasnât sure if I even wanted to go, I thought Iâd just be playing local footy for the year and seeing how it went after that,â Frew said.
âI loved it, it was so cool just coming to The Hangar â driving in and seeing the building, getting the tour, youâre like âWoah. As if Iâm hereâ? [VFLW coach] Brendan Major called me and said heâd love to have me back, and I guess the rest is history from thereâ.
After impressing for the Bombers in the back half of 2019, the COVID-affected 2020 saw the VFLW season cancelled in a major halt to Frewâs trajectory.
An injury-riddled 2021 compounded the issue for the emerging star, but her determination never wavered; a rejuvenated Frew dobbed a league-high 35 goals in 2022 en route to her first premiership, the team going undefeated for the season in the process.
âIn 2021 I was so stoked to be back after being so upset with footy missing, but unfortunately, I got injured and missed the second half of the year. For 2022 to be my first full year of footy, going undefeated, winning the premiership⌠I had an amazing year,â Frew said.
Securing a list position and debuting in Essendonâs inaugural AFLW team just weeks later, it still feels like the best is yet to come for Frew after enduring a difficult two years to get there.
Reflecting on her journey, Frewâs ability to overcome adversity has always been apparent. Even from the moment she was forced as a child to move away from footy, it was clear the game still had a role to play in her future.
âKicking the ball in the backyard and playing Auskick was the dream. Because girls couldnât play footy then, that was just the best time ever,â Frew said.
âI was always knew I was gonna do it one day. âObviously, Iâll play in the AFLW even though it doesnât existâ. Iâve been thinking about little âFedeâ a lot lately⌠sheâd be smiling from ear to ear, I reckonâ.
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Big year coming up for Frew - She seemed to struggle with the pace of the game and when you are a forward and fail to kick a goal, then you have issues.
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Still looking for goal #50 with EFCâŚ
Erin Phillips has issues, too!
Love to be Erin Phillips who is probably the best performed player in the history of the AFLW.
New variant!
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Took a quarter for Fede to kick VFLW goals #50 and #51.
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Iâm really pleased to see her picked up by Port M, good luck to her (unless it is against us).
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You misspelled âPort M has been picked up by Fede Frewâ.
Theyâre a goal ahead of their full-time score last week.
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I suspect Frew was too slow for the AFLW and she also lacked the running power in transition.
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Yikes, dropping this 2 days after not being selected.
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Oh yikes. I saw that and assumed Iâd missed that she was selected
She had 3-4 legit chances to goal in that first game⌠sad they cut to black rather than show her swearing!
And is that the piece of paper from the Grand Final walls?
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Episode 2 (the first episode overtly finished with her packing away her Essendon gear; in this one she has her season with Port).
Good to see the early bullshit negative VFLW commentary (clearly not based on what was happening on the day in front of them) being called out.