IF THERE’S one thing professional athletes take seriously, it’s their game-day superstitions.
Even some die-hard fans have certain things they have to do before a game for good luck: putting on the left sock first, eating a schnitzel for lunch, or listening to the same song in the car.
We asked some AFLW players to weigh in on the importance of superstitions, and to share some of their own rituals and must-dos before each game.
Adelaide
Anne Hatchard has to wear her socks pulled up every game.
Carlton
Erone Fitzpatrick always puts her left sock before the right sock. Amelia Velardo has a ritual where she juggles tennis balls before every game. Yaz Duursma and Keeley Skepper play Fortnite together before a game. Lila Keck has to go to a pre-game walk with music.
Collingwood
Mikala Cann eats a mix of beef mince, tuna and rice before every game. Meanwhile, Ruby Schleicher must eat watermelon on game day. Lucy Cronin listens to classical music right before the match to get into the zone.
Essendon
Chloe Adams sleeps in her gear the night before the game with her helmet next to her bed. In the same (overprepared) vein, Bess Keaney has to have her bag packed the night before a game.
Fremantle
Emma O’Driscoll always wears the same GWS bra as her lucky charm for every match.
Serena Gibbs always has the same breakfast on game day: eggs on toast with mushroom, avocado and tomatoes. She also travels to games alone, and doesn’t find out where her family are sitting at games – she says it throws her off.
Gold Coast
Wallis Randell’s pre-game ritual includes texting her grandma the colour of her boots and ribbon. Her eyesight isn’t great so she gets excited when she sees the colours on the field.
Jamie Stanton wears the same sports bra for every game, while Claudia Whitfort always has pasta and ice cream for dinner the night before a game.
Greater Western Sydney
Zarlie Goldsworthy’s number one suspicion is to never wash winning socks. Katherine Smith has a lucky game-day sports bra that she wears without fail.
Claire Ransom says that she used to wear the same pair of undies for game day every time, but then they got tattered so she stopped. Thankfully, she wasn’t jinxed.
Pepa Randall and Daisy Walker have a very specific belief: your team will lose if someone is playing their 50th AFLW game.
Hawthorn
Emily Bates eats a minimum of six bananas on game day.
Meanwhile, Mackenzie Eardley can’t wear a ribbon in her hair on game day because she played badly the last time she wore one.
Aileen Gilroy has to put her shoes on via left sock, right sock, left boot, right boot, left shoelace and right shoelace. She also wears the same sports bra each game.
Kristy Stratton has to have an energy drink before the game, every single time.
Melbourne
Tahlia Gillard and Kate Hore both have to wear the same undies every game day. Alyssia Pisano has the same breakfast every game day, an egg and cheese muffin.
Port Adelaide
Ebony O’Dea is a Rubik’s cube whiz, and she likes to solve it up to 30 times before a game.
Sydney
Chloe Molloy cleans her footy boots with a toothbrush before every game to get all the “previous game” off them and start fresh.
West Coast
Jess Rentsch wears the same bra and undies for every game day. Don’t worry, she washes them each week!
Jess Hosking always plays the game ‘Bop-It’ before running out on game day.
Western Bulldogs
Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner only ever wears bright boots on the field.
Jas Smith brings her own blue esky to each game. She also has the same meals the night before and the day of the game – usually her breakfast is scrambled eggs and rice.
