First goal: Sophie Locke of the Hawks celebrates the Hawks’ first goal during the match at Marvel Stadium on Saturday. Photo: Michael Willson/AFL Photos
Photo by
Michael Willson
Women’s football dominated the headlines last weekend as the first 18-team AFLW season was launched on bye week for the AFL.
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Among the headline makers was 21-year-old Hawthorn debutante Sophie Locke, who has strong Goulburn Valley connections — through Seymour.
Sophie may not be well known to Kyabram people, but her mother Sarah was a decorated Goulburn Valley league netballer and her father Stuart a rover with Seymour in the same competition.
Stuart Locke and Sophie’s sister Chloe were patched into the room via zoom when new Hawthorn coach Bec Goddard announced Sophie would be making her debut for the club.
Two weeks ago Sophie’s mother, Sarah, died after a long battle with cancer.
Her Kyabram cousins, Kyabram P-12 students Stephanie (grade five) and Riley Locke (Year 12), along with their step-sister Kira Langford, went to watch Sophie play her first AFLW game for Hawthorn at Marvel Stadium.
Both Stephanie and Kira were invited to go on the ground prior to the start and cheer on the Hawks as they ran out.
Not long after the teams ran out Sophie etched her name into history by becoming the first Hawthorn AFLW player to kick a goal.
Hawthorn eventually lost to another new team, Essendon, by 26 points.
Next week the Free Press will speak with Kyabram’s own AFLW player, Geelong’s Julia Crockett-Grills, who has been made part of the leadership group with the Cats. Geelong won its opening round match with Richmond by four points on Sunday.
Proud cousins: Kira Langford, Stephanie and Riley Locke were at Marvel Stadium to cheer on their cousin in her debut with Hawthorn, Stephanie Locke. More on the AFLW next week when we speak with Kyabram’s own AFLW player, Julia Crockett-Grills, who was part of a winning round one team.
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