AFLSCW League B&F Medal named after Maddy Collier

AFL South Coast is pleased to announce that following consultation with the local football community and internal discussions, the AFL South Coast Women’s League Best and Fairest Medal will, moving forward, be known as the ‘Maddy Collier Medal’ in honour of the regions finest female footballer, Maddy Collier.

Born and bred on the South Coast, Maddy commenced her football journey in the original Illawarra Juniors Youth Girls competition in 2011 before graduating to senior football with the Wollongong Saints where she began to really make a name for herself in AFL circles. Most notably Maddy won the AFL Sydney League Best & Fairest Award at just 17 years of age. In 2014, Maddy made the difficult decision to move to Sydney to undertake a traineeship with AFL NSW/ACT and also transferred to the UNSW Eastern Suburbs Stingrays where her star continued to rise with numerous team and individual achievements.

Maddy’s crowning moment however, came in late 2016 when at just 21 years of age, she was the first AFL NSW/ACT player ever selected for the then brand new AFL Women’s competition, when the GIANTS selected her as a priority pick prior to the inaugural AFLW Draft. Since her selection, Maddy has played 11 games across the two AFLW seasons and remains on the GIANTS list for 2019.

Maddy Collier, still just 22 years old, is well known throughout the region for being a trailblazer in female football and has a playing CV most worthy of such an honour including:

 

• Originally from the Shoalhaven with strong links to Nowra Blues and Bomaderry Tigers Football Clubs
• Played with Kiama Power JAFC in original Illawarra Juniors Youth Girls competition (2011 & 2012)
• Three times AFL NSW/ACT Youth Girls Nationals player (2011 – 2013)
• Wollongong Saints player in AFL Sydney (2011 – 2013)
• UNSW Eastern Suburbs Stingrays player in AFL Sydney, including Premierships in 2016 and 2017 (2014 – 2017)
• AFL Sydney Representative player (2014 & 2015)
• AFL NSW/ACT Women’s Representative player (2015 & 2016)
• GIANTS player in AFLW (2017 & 2018)
• Essendon Bombers player in VFLW (2018)

Maddy’s exceptional career includes the following individual honours:

• Under-18 Youth Girls All Australian selection in 2013
• AFL Sydney Women’s Premier Division League Best & Fairest (now known as Mostyn Medal) in 2013 at 18 years of age
• AFL Sydney Team of the Year member (2013 – 2017)
• Drafted to Western Bulldogs for Women’s Exhibition matches pre-AFLW competition
• Best on Ground Medal in 2016 AFL Sydney Premier Division Grand Final
• UNSW Eastern Suburbs Women’s Best & Fairest 2016
• Best on Ground in AFL NSW/ACT vs. South Australia state game (2016)
• Captain of Sydney Swans Academy team vs. Giants Academy (2016)
• NSW Female Football Ambassador
• Recipient of Jill Lindsay Scholarship (2017)
• First NSW/ACT player to ever be selected in the AFLW (GWS GIANTS)

This year has certainly been a milestone year for AFL South Coast with the commencement of the inaugural Women’s competition, so to suitably recognise this significant inclusion by the naming of this award as the Maddy Collier Medal is a great outcome. The Maddy Collier Medal will be presented along with the Tunbridge Medal (Men’s Division One Best & Fairest) at the Tunbridge & Collier Medal night on  on Sunday, September 9, 2018 at The Pavilion in Kiama.