Soccer, late switch to Moonee Valley footy, debut in VFLW this year at 26yo… AFLW!
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Bring her in.
Essendon’s Amelia Radford is a mature-age midfielder who had an impressive season for the incoming AFLW expansion side’s VFLW side this season. Though not pre-listed, Radford was one of only a handful of mature-age VFLW players to earn an AFLW Draft Combine invite, suggesting interest from clubs outside the red and black.
She does have a number of traits that lend themselves to being able to adapt to the top level, from her defensive pressure to her stoppage craft and strong hands around the ground. She still has areas to improve on, most notably her kicking consistency, and in turn, her opposite foot.
Radford is a strong, 168cm midfielder who is clean by hand overhead, and at ground level, and lurks around the stoppages to try and win the contested ball. She can spread well to the outside and win it in transition, often being a
player who can dart laterally and put it on the boot true and straight. Her kicking itself can be inconsistent, though she does put it to the right spots. At times she goes for distance, and still directs it to damaging places on the ground, but an improvement on her opposite left foot would help with the overall consistency and efficiency of her kicking. Radford’s stoppage craft around the ground is strong, as is her ability to clunk marks on a lead.
One area that really stands out from a technique perspective, is Radford’s tackling, which is often a case of pinning one arm and leaving the ball handler with no ability to dispose of the ball cleanly. If the Essendon midfielder can tidy up kicking consistency - particularly her opposite foot - and at times decision making, then she has some nice defensive and offensive traits as a midfielder who can play in other positions.
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Ha, surrounded by old people, an octave or two lower-pitched.
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Dancing through packs (cued up).
Takes on and beats five Saints. May that continue this weekend!
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Her group may have been an octave higher if they hadn’t got warning she was about to be picked.
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Yes, there are various spellings of her nickname going around. I’m relying on her magnet on the game day whiteboard.
Took her 13 months from starting footy to be on an AFLW list… but not enough “dancing in packs” lines, @acat493.
11/07/2022 by Alex Catalano
Amelia Radford became the 10th VFLW Bomber to join Essendon’s inaugural AFLW team on draft night. (Photo: AFL)
Amelia Radford had barely picked up a Sherrin since Auskick before the start of 2021. Now she’s beginning her preparation to take the field for Essendon’s inaugural AFLW team.
Radford’s rapid rise was capped off with a VFLW premiership last Sunday, and being drafted last Wednesday. Seeing where the journey started, not even she can believe it.
The 26-year-old joined local club Moonee Valley in May of 2021 at the beckon of her friends and family. Previously a soccer player for 13 years, she was looking just to take up something new socially after taking time away from sport.
A chance encounter with a familiar name to most Essendon fans led her to where she is now.
“I’d never played footy before. I did Auskick when I was a young’un,” Radford told The Inner Sanctum .
“I wasn’t really thinking about AFLW, I was just playing for fun. I played a handful of games [at Mooney Valley] and was lucky enough to have Dean Rioli as one of our assistant coaches.
“He contacted Essendon and I went down to the VFL training. Dean was a great mentor for me, to help me get through the season and the early days.”
Radford impressed from the get go as an inside midfielder, named in the centre bounce in the EDFL Team of the Year.
She took on the challenging role with ease, dominating the competition. Stepping up into a VFLW midfield, however, was a different story.
“I played midfield in my soccer days, so that gave me a good understanding of how to play in those midfield roles, moving both back and forward through the ground,” Radford said.
“Obviously through the pre-season, Essendon invested a lot of time to improve my midfield craft and learning the structures and moving through the stoppages in our different set ups.
“Definitely credit to the coaches for investing the time in me to become a better inside midfielder.”
A difficult pre-season paid off in spades, as Radford immediately caught the attention of fans and recruiters alike.
She finished the year averaging 21.2 disposals (top five in the competition) and 4.1 tackles, equally as strong offensively and defensively. Radford earned herself three votes in the grand final win for her 16 disposal, eight tackle, three clearance game.
The grand final was just another highlight after a massive showing in the finals. She kicked her first VFLW goal in the semi final win over Casey to go with 25 disposals and five clearances.
Her incredible finals form contributed to being taken at pick 62 in the 2022 Draft.
“Draft night was a special night, it was extremely stressful waiting until you hear your name read out,” Radford said.
Taking the step up
With Radford’s step into the VFLW team came an expectation of near AFLW standards.
Essendon was granted an AFLW license in August alongside Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Sydney. The women’s program began preparation for the next 12 months accordingly.
The VFLW side recruited strongly, brining in players that inevitably joined the AFLW list including Bella Ayre, Dani Marshall, Renee Tierney, Joanne Doonan, Jordan Zanchetta, and Radford herself. Midfielder Sarah Ford was also selected as an open-age signing by Sydney.
While that increase in standards was a large one, it’s given Radford more time to prepare to jump up to the top level.
“The step up from local footy to the VFL program at Essendon mirrored the step up to the AFL program, because they were going into the AFL next year,” she said.
“It was all a bit of a shock having a GPS in the jumper and training being recorded and big gym programs, long nights, three nights a week training. It was a massive step up.
“From a football and a physical side of things, I managed to keep up pretty well. It was the mental side and having the mindset and belief that was the main thing.”
Having played 17 VFLW games including three finals, the intense training doesn’t stop. Radford and the other state leaguers will launch straight into their AFLW pre-season after just a week off.
She’s ready to tackle it and take on the top level opportunity, however it turns out.
“Starting next week, all of us girls will be back into full load and full on training,” Radford said.
“I think we’re pretty excited by that but obviously our bodies did need a bit of a rest to reset. It’s seven weeks until the season starts.
“Starting Monday we’ll all be out there training together as a full group as well. My goal is just to play a few games, that would be nice.
“The transition from local footy to VFL was a lot, and I’ve built really good connections and friendships with the girls in that team.
“When Essendon drafted me, it’s made everything 10 times easier having the girls, knowing how they play and having those friendships and connections already established. I walked off the training track [on Thursday] night after my first session, and I was like ‘oh thank god we’re doing it all together’.”
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Above article subsequently published by EFC.
49 minutes on the EFC, including 10 minutes interviewing Radford.
Essendon Bombers AFLW Fantasy Preview S7 - Free Kick: The FantasyW podcast | Podcast on Spotify
Explains the “Uber” nickname, at least.
By Aiden Tilley
For midfielder Amelia Radford, her own unique path to the elite level is one that has flourished throughout her late 20’s.
An eventful two years has led the 28-year-old from the grassroots scene to now playing an integral role in the Bombers’ lineup ahead of their second year in the competition.
“The last two years were crazy, everything came pretty quickly,” Radford said.
“I was only just playing local footy before making the VFLW team, to then winning the premiership (in 2022) and making the AFLW list.”
Radford says if someone had told a younger version of herself about the position she’d find herself in, she wouldn’t have believed it.
“Football was never really an option when I was younger, to be able to get here is incredible,” Radford said.
“I played soccer for 12-13 years, did the Auskick pathway but junior footy wasn’t really an option, so I decided to take a break from sport together to focus on my studies and career.”
In this break, Radford broke into the professional industry where she now serves as integral member of Uber’s Australian operations.
Balancing a full-time job and playing AFLW football can be tricky, but Radford finds plenty of worth in her long hours both in the office and on the track.
“I was always so invested in my personal career, I currently work full-time at Uber in a strategy and operations role. Between travelling across the state, hours of meeting and managing a team accompanied by AFLW commitment, it does keep me very busy,” Radford said.
“I love both these aspects of my life and the challenge it brings.”
With pre-season ramping up and the campaign fast approaching, Radford feels better than ever heading into her second season.
Radford’s first full AFLW pre-season was aided by a strong block of VFLW action that saw her average 26.2 disposals and 6.7 tackles through four games with the Bombers.
Her mindset towards this has been second to none.
“The speed of the (AFLW) game is on another level. For me, the most important thing from playing back in the VFLW was taking that standard into the games,” Radford said.
“It was my first full footy pre-season which allowed me to have a good block of VFLW games. I feel a lot fitter and a lot more confident in my own ability.
“There has also been a lot of crossover between the VFLW and AFLW programs which made it a great environment to be in.”
This environment has seen a boost in morale among Essendon’s camp, with the group feeling positive heading into season 2023.
“I think (the vibes are) very high. We have had so much time together this off-season to allow for us to establish great connections,” Radford said.
“There is a lot of belief and confidence that we can push for a finals berth.”
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19/08/2023
With the AFLW season quickly approaching it’s time to check in on how the Bombers are approaching the year.
Harper Sercombe chatted with Amelia Radford from Essendon to hear her thoughts on the pre-season and what to expect from the Bombers in season 8 of the AFLW.
After finishing 10th in their first season in the AFLW, Essendon is seeking to take the next step in season 8.
Bomber’s VFLW premiership player and inaugural member of the AFLW side Amelia Radford said they are counting down the days to their round one clash with Hawthorn.
“Last year’s round one game against Hawthorn was amazing and I think it was a night that we’ll all remember… we’re all equally excited, and we definitely want to get the win again to continue the tradition,” she said.
To get to opening night of the season is a long road for many of the players including Radford, who put in a lot of hard work playing with Essendon’s VFLW side preparing themselves for the AFLW.
“Most of us have been training since early in the year, around March in the VFL program and had a week or two to reset and recover, then straight into the AFL preseason which started about three months ago now,” she said.
The pre-season for the Bombers has been about developing relationships and connections that will hopefully take the group to where they want to be. With a trip west to face the Eagles over the weekend, Radford said the timing was perfect.
“Continuing to build our culture and set really high standards so we can have a successful program,” she said.
“I think getting away as a team is always a good opportunity to do that, to spend some time with more players and different players away from the club setting.
“It’s a really good opportunity for us to play our brand of footy and build on what we’ve been building on in the off-season.”
In the off-season the Bombers brought in six players to fill some holes within their list, including adding some much needed experience. Brooke Walker, Brooke Brown, Kodi Jacques, Georgia Nanscawen, Matilda Dyke, Leah Cutting were added to the list.
“A lot of them are primarily defenders to build and bolster our back line a bit more,” Radford said.
“They’ve all been settling in really well. We’ve all got to get to know them a lot better, they’re amazing footballers and they bring a lot to the football program.
“It’s nice to have some refreshing faces in our program and they continue to drive really high standards which is good.”
Although, there has been one player who has caught Radford’s eye, much to the delight of Bombers supporters.
“Maddy Presprakis is already at that next level but what she’s done in the off-season, for herself to work on the areas that she wanted to work on, specifically around her fitness and her leadership,” she said.
“She’s an amazing leader in the off season for a lot of us girls that were playing VFL, coming to all our games, helping us with training and providing us feedback.
“She’s continued that into the AFL program and is a real leader of the group now which is awesome to see.”
Prespakis and Radford will be keys to unlock what the Bombers are setting out to achieve this season with finals aspirations on the agenda.
“We just want to compete with the best, and compete every week and have a consistent performance,” Radford said.
“The goal of finals, et cetera, will hopefully take care of itself and be reflected in our hard work.
“We know that we need to continually improve to get there but that’s our ultimate goal.”
The Bombers are back at their spiritual home of Windy Hill for the upcoming season. After being largely on the road for season 7, it’s a welcomed change.
“It’s very exciting, we want to build it as our fortress as our home ground,” Radford said.
“We played a few games there over the last few weeks, we’re going to be doing some training there as well.
“I think it’s going to be good for all the fans to get down and watch us at Windy Hill and to have that home fortress and hopefully we can win all our home games.”
Radford has been a proven ball winner at the VFLW level, having averaged more than 21 disposals in the competition, including a patch of three games where she was averaging 29 touches, showing off her cleanliness at ground level and aerial abilities.
Although in the AFLW she wasn’t able to have the same form from her seven games, something that she said is a focus of hers.
“I had a handful of games in the inside midfield and was able to get my hands on it a lot which was great for my own belief and my own confidence,” she said.
“In the AFL, I think it’ll be a combination of playing inside where I can win the contest and get it out to the players around me.But also on the wing, working on my running capacity, running both ways and getting the ball a bit more in space and not getting contested possessions the whole time.”
With the women’s season starting in the bye between the men’s home and away season and finals series, a date against Hawthorn awaits on Saturday, September 2 under lights at Kinetic Stadium.
Other than the season opener there was one game that Radford was particularly looking forward to.
“We play Collingwood on grand final day at the AIA Centre, at 11am, if Collingwood’s men’s team are in the grand final and we’re playing down in that precinct early in the morning. I think that would be a pretty special day,” she said.
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By Blake Gaffiero
Amelia Radford was a key component of Essendon’s 17-point Dreamtime victory over the Tigers on Saturday night.
The 28-year-old enjoyed a career-high 18 disposals on the wing, providing important run and carry in a blistering display from the Bombers.
After a whirlwind 2022 saw Radford make the jump from a VFLW premiership into the Dons’ inaugural AFLW side, the extra time to develop within the group this season has paid dividends.
“It’s exciting, I feel like my game’s been building each week and it’s nice to get out there and show a bit of my talent running up and down the wing,” Radford said.
“It’s an important role for the team to hold that width and I really enjoy it.”
The Bombers were tested by Richmond’s inside presence in the third quarter, with a big final term eventually sealing the result through some quality link-up play.
For Radford, the side’s running game proved critical in the dying stages, and it is only just beginning to flourish.
“Our contested possession, winning the ball and backing ourselves in to spread and play our really aggressive, attacking football with run off half-back (was important)”, Radford said.
“The connection between the lines has really built over the pre-season, and once we get that ball going it’s hard to stop.”
Sitting with a 5-2 record ahead of a clash with the Eagles, Radford is keen to keep building into the business end of the season.
“We were all hoping to have a solid year off the back of just missing finals last year and we’ve definitely put our best foot forward. It’s really exciting,” Radford said.
“Obviously, last season was very rushed together and then this season we’ve had a lot of time to build our game style and plan.
“Everyone’s been working really hard on the training track and the coaches have been great in educating us on what style we want to play and it’s starting to show on the field.
“Every week, we get better and better.”
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GOAL-KICKING MACHINE.
by Blake Gaffiero
Among the many success stories that define Essendon’s AFLW list, Amelia Radford’s journey has certainly been unconventional.
After more than a decade devoted to junior soccer pathways and a personal career in the strategy and operations field, an AFLW finals series mightn’t have been visible on the horizon two years ago.
Cracking into Essendon’s 2022 VFLW premiership side, Radford’s football return paid off with a spot on the club’s inaugural AFLW list, before growing into a consistent performer across her two seasons at senior level in the red and black.
Ahead of her (and the club’s) first ever AFLW final against Geelong this weekend, Radford told 3WBC’s Balls and All that the opportunity presented is an exciting one for the entire club to embrace.
“For me personally, it’s been a bit of a whirlwind over the last 18 months playing in the VFLW team, winning a premiership and the next day to be my first AFLW training session,” Radford said.
“It’s exciting what’s to come this week for the club. It’s been a long season and a lot of hard work’s been put in, so it’s pretty exciting that we’re competing in the finals in only our second year.”
At 28 years of age, Radford is still one of the Bombers’ freshest in terms of experience, having pieced together 17 AFLW games (including all 10 so far this season) in her tenure with the club.
For Radford, the on-field contribution of leaders such as Bonnie Toogood and Maddy Prespakis has been big in contributing to the growth of the Bombers throughout the season.
“There’s a bit of experience with a fair few of us girls that have played in VFLW finals series before, and we’ve got a wealth of experience with all the AFLW girls coming from other clubs as we built our list,” Radford said.
“We’ve got Bonnie and Maddy who have a lot of experience, and what it means to us is just (having) that on-ground leadership.
“Football’s a game with lots of different moving pieces and to have their level of knowledge out there on the ground when things are and aren’t going our way, they can just flick the switch and get the group all aligned and focused on the right things.”
The matchup with the Cats marks their second encounter this season, with the Bombers prevailing in a spirited comeback victory back in round six.
Radford sees the two sides’ game styles very similarly, with winning the contested ball a key facet to the result.
“Geelong will definitely be a tough opponent, but we got a win against them earlier in the season so we can go in with a lot of confidence,” Radford said.
“With the AFLW being a shorter season, you don’t always get the opportunity to play teams twice in one season, so that’s a great bonus for us.
“They’re a very fast team who love to win the contested ball, I think we play a similar brand (which is exciting and fun to watch) and we’ll be looking to go out there and do the things we did earlier in the season.”
Radford is confident in the Bombers’ ability to hold up in finals, suggesting that the process won’t alter too much for the side in the lead-up.
“The focus for us is always on what we can do. Not much changes for me personally and the team,” Radford said.
“Seeing all the hard work that’s been done over the last two years in my game is starting to show off, (getting) that experience and consistency behind me. It’s always exciting to just run out in front of all the fans and soak in all the emotions and experience on the day.
“I haven’t played that many games of footy, so every time I get to run out it’s like a new opportunity.”
