By JARROD POTTER
IT’S been a hectic month for Endeavour Hills football dynamo Ellie Blackburn.
Taking to the field for two of female football’s biggest matches of the year, Blackburn, 20, donned the Melbourne AFL jersey before backing it up with her beloved Big V last Friday.
Featuring in a blockbuster under lights, Victoria and West Australia battled out what has been dubbed one of the greatest female football matches of all time.
Serving as a premium curtain-raiser for the Fremantle/Richmond AFL clash on Friday night at Subiaco, the two women’s football sides went neck and neck to the final siren as it came down to the wire between the Big V and the Swans.
Victoria opened the accounts early through Blackburn – who said she “just snuck out the back and had a snap on goals” – but couldn’t clamp down on West Australia as the home side took back the lead through the second term.
It was a hard slog across the expansive Subiaco surface as neither side would relent.
The hard-fought, bruising football eased in the last term to allow free-flowing, run-and-carry to take great effect.
Victoria tried to hunt its way back into the match, booting three last quarter goals, and in the end it came down to a long bomb from Blackburn to hit up Emma Kearney in the square in the dying seconds.
But West Australian pressure forced Kearney’s resulting kick at goals to fly wide for a point and the siren sounded soon after with the Victorians four-short.
“It was amazing actually – I’d have to agree saying it was one of the best games I’ve ever played in,” Blackburn said.
“Even though the scoreboard didn’t come our way in the end it was great, free following footy.
“I absolutely loved being able to have the opportunity to play on the good ground against WA.
“It’s a lot bigger than you think it is and really long so there’s a lot of running for that ground and was just amazing.”
Despite the loss, the experience of running onto another AFL standard ground and donning her beloved Big V jersey is something Blackburn will treasure fondly.
“Absolutely loved being able to pull on the Big V again at the senior level,” Blackburn said. “Wish it could’ve lasted a little longer but it was another great opportunity.”
Her Victorian representative caps off an amazing month after Blackburn pulled on the Demons’ jersey for the third time in the AFL Women’s match on 24 May and will get another chance to play AFL football this season in August.
Her Demons knocked over the Western Bulldogs by eight points and Blackburn was keen to create a more expansive match in the second leg.
“I think the first game was really stamping our ground on the footy world and letting them know that we are here,” Blackburn said. “There was a lot of media attention about the game – the game didn’t go to plan so to speak, even though the scoreboard reflected our way a bit better.
“The second game will be a lot more free flowing and just be a better feeling and better display of women’s footy.”
In the meantime Blackburn will return to the Victorian Women’s Football League (VWFL) where she’s a gun midfielder for Melbourne University.
