Riverina Lions midfielder Mel Hyland will make history on Saturday when she becomes the first female in NSW/ACT to play 300 games of AFL.
Hyland’s premiership winning career includes over 100 games for both Sydney University WAFC and the Riverina Lions WAFC, and over 60 representative games between NSW and ACT.
When she leads the Lions out to battle with Ainslie on Saturday, Hyland will join elite company becoming just the fourth female in Australia to enter the 300 game-club.
A foundation player in the Sydney Women’s AFL, Hyland went from spending her early years being hidden in the forward pocket to becoming the fearless defender that took her all the way to a SWAFL league best and fairest and being named in the SWAFL team of the decade.
Hyland laughs when reminiscing the early days of her career.
“I ended up with a broken nose in the 2001 Grand Final because I got in the road of a team mate,” Hyland said.
Since crossing to the Riverina Lions and AFL Canberra in 2006, Hyland’s accolades continued. Hyland has being named in numerous AFL Canberra teams of the year and has taken out the Riverina Lions Best and Fairest award.
Having already played the game across fifteen seasons, Hyland has seen numerous changes and vast development.
“In the early years we had to dig holes to put in PVC pipes as goal posts, playing 12 a side across the field”
And although it seems a distant memory to the current day format Hyland admits she’s proud to have been there and done that.
“It’s been great to witness the participation growth and skill development”
The hard work doesn’t stop on the field. Hyland has shaped the future of the sport holding various roles in both the SWAFL and AFL Canberra leagues, Sydney University and Riverina Lions clubs and National Women’s Football championships organising committees. She is currently still serving as the Riverina Lions' President and team manager.
Hyland's current passion is coaching the next crop of Lions and she is in her third season of coaching the Riverina Cubs. Hyland is also the Head Coach of the NSW U16 school girl’s side, the Assistant Coach of the NSW/ACT U18 Youth girl’s side and she has been a regular volunteer at the Riverina all girls Auskick and youth girls programs.
“I love seeing so many young girls coming through picking up the footy”
“The enjoyment of the girls (and the talent) has been incredible”
Although she just enjoys seeing the growth of female football, Hyland admits to having a soft spot for her country kids.
“I love coaching the young Riverina girls. They are so passionate about playing and are more physical than their city counterparts”
A proud Swans supporter, Hyland claims that coaching the NSW U16 school girls to a victory on the SCG and winning the Division 2 National Women’s AFL titles on Cazaly’s Stadium with the ACT are two of the highlights of her fifteen year career. Hyland hopes that the comradery of the traveling Riverina Lions will enable her to celebrate one more highlight - taking the AFL Canberra premiership cup back to McPherson Oval before retiring.
From humble beginnings, Hyland has developed into one of the premier players in not just one league, but two, and although her playing days may be coming to a close, she is already busy mentoring the next generation of footy stars.
“I hope to leave the sport in a better place than when I joined it.”
Last Modified on 19/08/2014 12:44