Geelong’s season-opener against Richmond on Sunday will hold extra significance for league stalwart Shelley Scott.
Scott, who crossed from Melbourne during the Sign & Trade Period, is set to play her first game for her new club, and her 50th game in the AFLW.
The Gerangamete local said it felt good to be able to celebrate the milestone with her new club, which she has quickly settled into.
“It feels as close to home as I get – which is the case,” Scott said on the CatterBoxes podcast.
“It feels like home, and everyone’s just been so welcoming and lovely. I always hoped the opportunity to join the Cats would pop up.”
LISTEN TO SHELLEY SCOTT ON THE CATTERBOXES PODCAST NOW
The 34-year-old was an inaugural Demon, drafted with Melbourne’s sixth pick (no. 41 overall) in the 2016 AFLW draft, recruited from VFLW side Western Spurs after “eight or nine” games as a midfielder.
Scott kicked 26 goals across her 49 games with Melbourne, and was co-captain in 2019 and won the Demons’ club best and fairest the following year.
It’s been a big journey for Scott, whose only footy experience prior to playing with the Spurs was playing with her schoolmates in a small country primary school.
But it didn’t take long for Scott to establish herself at AFLW level, playing every game in her debut season bar one, which she missed through injury. Scott has played almost every game since then, and has been part of three finals campaigns with the Demons, including being part of last season’s grand final.
The versatile player, who plays midfield and forward, said she would never forget the first ever AFLW game, as well as the Demon’s first game – when nearby lightning forced a delay in play in their game against Brisbane.
“It was a whirlwind,” Scott said.
Cats senior coach Dan Lowther praised all that Scott has brought to the club since joining, particularly her leadership, and said she was an excellent role model for her teammates.
“We’ve got Shelley Scott playing her 50th with us, which is outstanding. She’s come in and she’s been a true leader from the get-go,” Lowther said.
“Our playing group has really gelled with her and she’s gelled with them, so she’ll play a leading role in our team going forward.
“She’s a hard worker, works on the farm, long hours, comes to training, never, ever complains about anything being too hard.
“It’s always, ‘What more can I do to help?’ which is the right person. That’s the person we want as a role model for our younger players. That’s the direction we’re heading in, we need to be able to paint good pictures for our group going forward. This is a good model to follow that works.”
The Cats take on Richmond this Sunday at GMHBA Stadium from 4.10pm. Get your tickets here. Head to the Kardinia Park Precinct early with our FREE Footy Festival kicking off at 2pm.
