Boots, check. Mouthguard, check. Nappies, check. Baby, check.
An afternoon training session has become a whole lot busier for Foundation Lion Sharni Webb in recent months.
And it’s not about to slow down anytime soon.
Webb will make her return to the AFLW field this Tuesday in her first game in 672 days, just over seven months since the birth of her daughter, Billie.
“I’m just excited to get back out on the park,” Webb said.
“Getting my name read out by Craig [Starcevich] the other day was just like ‘oh wow, it’s here, it’s happening.’”
“All the hard work has finally paid off. It’s been a slog this pre-season but I’m super excited to get a game.”
“I kind of feel like a debutant again, even though I played the first four years and didn’t miss a game, it’s super exciting to get to put the guernsey back on.”
Like any athlete returning from a long period of time away from sport, it can be a tough road. But for Webb motherhood brought its own unique challenges to the journey back to AFLW.
“It was challenging,” Webb said.
“Anna [O’Keefe, Player Development Manager] and Bree [Brock, Head of Women’s Football] and everyone at the Club has been so good, especially in the early days.
“I’d bring her here [to training], run off to give her a quick feed, run back on. It was tough.”
“She’s a bit easier now which is good.”
“I was hoping for the best [with my return to training]. I was able to get back into training pretty quickly. I had a few little hiccups along the way that pushed me back a bit, but I’m ready for this round and stoked to play.”
“I think a lot of people think that once you become a Mum, that’s it [for High Performance sport], so I’m glad I was able to do the opposite.”
With the Club’s support behind her the entire way, Webb will reap the rewards of her hard work when she named in Starcevich’s best 21 on Monday evening.
“I think when I was pregnant, I was probably this close to being ready to retire.
“But I think when you’re taken away from something that’s such a big part of your identity, you realise ‘hold on, I’m not ready to retire just yet’.
“I’ve still got plenty of years to keep playing if my body allows me to. I think footy is a big part of my life, I still want to play and a baby isn’t going to stop that.”
