'Glorious' photo of AFLW fans goes viral for the best reason
An innocuous AFL Women’s post about a coincidental set of numbers has gone viral for a very unintended reason.
The third season of the competition kicked off on the weekend with Geelong and North Melbourne taking the field as the first expansion teams.
The Cats opened the season with a thrilling one-point win over Collingwood on Saturday in front of an impressive 18,429 fans at Kardinia Park.
Having waited two years of the AFLW – not to mention the long wait for the league to even begin – to watch their own women’s team, Geelong supporters lapped it up.
Nobody seemed to enjoy it more than the young girls in attendance and nothing showed that more than this brilliant image captured on the night:
The photo was posted alongside a caption detailing two eerie coincidences between the women’s team and the men’s 1897 debut in the VFL.
Back then, Geelong scored 3.6 (24) with a team that featured VFA holdover and club great Teddy Rankin.
On Saturday, the Cats scored 3.6 (24) with a team that featured Rankin’s great-great-granddaughter Georgie.
The stats might have been declared crazy but it was the sight of Geelong’s next generation that set footy fans off.
STAT ALERT: @catswomens score 3.6(24) in their first #AFLW match was identical to the club's score at their first ever League game on May 8, 1897 🙌 No.10 Georgie Rankin debuted on Saturday almost 122 years after her great great-grandpa Teddy Rankin debuted in the blue & white 😲 pic.twitter.com/gzBvNEUgLT
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) February 4, 2019
Check out the faces on the boundary… https://t.co/dMJWZg8zHG
— Martin Flanagan (@Martin_Flanagan) February 4, 2019
Plenty of inevitable misogynistic crap going around about @aflwomens recently. Debate tends not to work with these people. But I reckon this lovely pic says as much as any argument could. Guys, these are YOUR daughters supporting heroes they, too, can actually aspire to be. #AFLW pic.twitter.com/XYeO9woYSe
— Rohan Connolly (@rohan_connolly) February 4, 2019
This photo by @MichaelCWillson is 🔥 #AFLW https://t.co/PU6gyfFHJv
— Brandon Cohen (@BrandonGCohen) February 4, 2019
Everything about this is just fabulous. https://t.co/F2eQKuMAMS
— Kim Stephens (@kimbo_stephens) February 4, 2019
Stats aside ( which are brilliant ) look at these faces !!! This is what female athletes are doing for the next generation- showing them dreams can BE reality ! https://t.co/bo0IMWhjrD
— Ali (@Alipadali) February 4, 2019
JUST LOOK AT THIS PHOTO https://t.co/YsnFcvZw1g
— Ashlyne McInnes (@ashlyne_mcinnes) February 4, 2019
I love this photo so much! Representation matters 💙
— Clare Murphy (@ClareAliceMurph) February 4, 2019
What a photo
— Nick Wade (@nick_wade) February 4, 2019
A glorious photo. Love AFL Women’s since day 1
— Victor Yong (@BigVic_AFL) February 4, 2019
OMG this photo. I tear up!!
— tina pratt (@tmc071) February 4, 2019
What a glorious photo! The looks on their faces is priceless!
— Melanie Wray (@melanie_wray) February 4, 2019
The stats weren’t just ignored for the photo on Twitter, with Facebook and Instagram users joining in on the fun.
“If the critics and cynics still can’t understand why this comp is important after looking at this photo then well, heaven help them,” Bill Quarry wrote on Facebook.
“How wonderful to see those young girls so enthusiastic about the Women’s game. Brings me to tears,” Judy Haynes added.
“I’m not a Cats supporter but stories like this are great, just as this photo is. Makes me so happy to know that young girls have female role models and a future in footy,” wrote Sam Prideaux.
Those young girls might have something to cheer about all season long, with 18-year-old Nina Morrison starring on debut for Geelong.
The teenager had a game-high 22 possessions and also laid eight tackles in the victory.
Nina Morrison doing No.1 pick things 💪#AFLWCatsPies pic.twitter.com/JnpyjRKvF3
— 7AFL (@7AFL) February 2, 2019
But it was her set shot that cannoned into the goalpost midway through the last term which was her most telling contribution.
“That was pretty exciting,” said Morrison.
“At the time I was probably hoping for the goal but in the end the point was enough.”
Cats coach Paul Hood was delighted with the contribution from his star player.
“It’s pretty special, for your first game at AFLW level to have 22 disposals and work as hard as she did,” he said.
“She copped some attention too, obviously the opposition were going to try and make it difficult for her. But she fought through that and I’m really pleased for her.”
with AAP
