FROM Alice Springs to the big stage.

Danika McDonald is hoping to make it happen.

The tall defender recently captained the Allies in a Marsh Under-18 National Championship game against Vic Country, and although it wasn’t her best game – a rolled ankle just before the first bounce was the culprit – the bubbly McDonald is keen to put her best foot forward for the remainder of the year.

‘It means a lot more’: Draft hopeful on books, cellies and NT footy

She’s a voracious reader, has big goals, and definitely didn’t play soccer growing up. Meet draft prospect Danika McDonald.

“I’ve been playing footy since 2017. I did gymnastics and rugby, but none of that stood out to me. Then I made the transition over to footy, my uncles had been playing first. One day he randomly decided he wanted to teach me how to kick a footy, so I guess it went from there,” McDonald said.

“A few of my friends were playing, so I wanted to be around my friends a bit more. I loved being able to spend time with my friends outside of school and the opportunity to make more new friends, I loved it.”

McDonald has spread her footy across a number of teams this year, and has plied her trade across three distinct playing conditions – the desert, the tropics, and Melbourne’s own unique blend.

The 18-year-old is a member of the Marsh AFLW Academy, has represented the Northern Territory in a handful of invitational Coates Talent League games, and played for the Pioneer Eagles in the Central Australian Football League.

“Playing footy in Alice – I guess it means a lot more. You’re versing your family and friends, people you’ve been around for years, and I just really enjoy it. Having your family sit up on the hill and cheering you on, I love it,” McDonald said.

“Being at the NT Academy, I’ve learnt a lot more. One of our values is pride, and I’ve learned to be proud of being in the academy. It’s taught me punctuality, and being able to commit to something, that’s also one of our values. I’ve learnt a lot more (for) outside of footy than inside of footy. It’s made me better as a person.

“In Vic, the skills are at a higher level. In the NT, we’re still building our footy and we recognise that, but we’re still working hard with our emerging talent program to build that league up to be able to match the levels. We’re still getting there, and I guess at the NT, we like to use our speed.

“I’ve gotten used to the weather in Alice Springs, we have cold weather and it gets to 15. When we have the games up in Darwin, it’s like 30 degrees heat, humidity, then coming down to Melbourne where you don’t even know what the weather’s going to be. One minute it’s sun, then the next minute it’s raining. It’s a really big difference, and it makes a big difference in the footy as well, adjusting your body to the weather.”

McDonald has been a participant in the AFL’s Indigenous talent pathways over the past few years, spending time in the Woomeras program, which aims to bridge the gap for girls aged 14-16 who haven’t had much exposure to elite football.

“At the moment, I’m working at AFLNT (in Alice Springs), I run Auskick, sometimes I go out to the communities and do the Auskick out there. I go to different schools and run the clinics there,” she said.

“Away from footy, I like to read. I’m a big reader, I’ve got two bookshelves full of books, and I can burn through two books a week, that’s how much I love it.

“As a smaller goal, I want to get my 2km time trial up, and as a big goal, I want to get drafted, that’s my main goal.

“The skill I want to work on most is contested marking, I prefer to bring it to ground, but now I’m working on my body positioning, to be able to take that mark.”

The Woomeras take on the multicultural Medleys team in a representative match on Saturday. Eligible players (aged 16-18) may then be selected into the National Indigenous and Multicultural Academies for the following year.