ONE of women’s football’s most decorated careers will come to a close on Saturday night with Geelong ruck Aasta O’Connor announcing her retirement.
The Queensland native, who turns 34 in June, will make her final appearance in the Cats’ wooden spoon-deciding clash with Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium.
It will be her 20th match for Geelong after being signed from reigning premier Western Bulldogs ahead of the Cats’ AFLW entry in 2019.
“The game has been so good to me, I’ve scraped every last little bit out of my body, and the time is right to move onto the next phase of my football life,” O’Connor said.
“I’m proud to say I’m a Geelong person. There’s something about wearing the hoops.
“I’ve had the opportunity to play alongside a lot of young players I coached through the pathway; they’ve helped me understand my true calling in footy.
“I look forward to watching the club achieve great things under Meghan McDonald’s leadership in the years to come.”
O’Connor used her retirement announcement to pay tribute to the pioneers of the women’s game.
“It’s because of women like Debbie Lee, Sal Rees, Jan Cooper, Marlo Brack, Lisa Hardeman and Kerryn Stephens, girls now have the opportunity to play AFLW,” she said.
“They are true heroes. Special thank you to Peta Searle. She taught me to always raise the bar; I owe her so much.
“I want to thank my mum and dad for not giving in to the social norms of the time, girls didn’t really play footy back then, but they backed me in.
“To Kate and Leo, thank you for everything. You’re always there through the ups and downs. I simply couldn’t have done it without you.”
As well as being part of the Dogs’ success, O’Connor also played in four premierships with Logan Cobras in Queensland and Victorian powerhouse Darebin Falcons.
Twitter: @tom_king79
