AFLW Player # 4: Maddy Prespakis - Runner up in the BnF! Signed for 4 more years! - 11/3

[RedmanWasHere]

Contract Status: Out of contract 2022
My Girl Draft 2022

 

[Lore]

Zach Merrett’s fault we got her apparently. Her heart was already in it but he sold the club to her as a place where she would be able to develop her game and get more out of herself. Shows you how much appetite there is for development and how much of a draw investment will be for us to bring in good players.

And you know, Maddy is 21. So this mad bombers supporting kid, in fact most of the players we have across all leagues… none of them remember a time when Essendon was based at Windy Hill. They don’t remember 2000. And it still hasn’t stopped them loving this ******* club and wanting to come back here.

IT WAS the presence of Zach Merrett that convinced Maddy Prespakis her future was with Essendon.

Having agreed to take a meeting with Bombers officials ahead of the last AFLW sign and trade period, Prespakis was greeted by a contingent led by Merrett and football boss Josh Mahoney

Josh Mahoney

Age

46

Ht

180cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.3

3star

K

6.8

3star

HB

4.5

3star

M

3.5

4star

T

1.6

4star

G

0.9

4star

No current season stats available

D

9.2

3star

K

5.4

2star

HB

3.8

3star

M

2.2

3star

T

1.6

4star

G

0.4

3star

, determined to convince the young midfielder to make the high-profile move to Tullamarine.

Merrett spoke the words Prespakis had wanted to hear. He told her why he had shunned restricted free agency to sign a six-year contract extension with Essendon in the months before, how the club had improved him as a footballer and a person, and how he'd dealt with adversity and learnt to cope with tagging and physical opposition tactics.

It came at a time when Prespakis had been questioning her development at Carlton. For the last two seasons, ever since she won the League best and fairest award at just 19 years of age for her performances during the 2020 campaign, she had felt like she had reached her capacity with the Blues.

Prespakis had touched base with club officials both after winning the League best and fairest – the AFLW's equivalent of the Brownlow Medal – and then again 12 months later, wanting advice on the next phase of her development and how she could cope with the additional opposition attention that had stemmed naturally from being crowned the best player in the competition. She was underwhelmed with the response.

Carlton, for its part, had offered a series of suggestions, but don't believe they were always taken on board. As for the question marks over her development, the Blues can argue Prespakis was a NAB AFLW Rising Star winner, a League best-and-fairest, a two-time All-Australian and a three-time club best and fairest winner by the age of 21 to suggest that her progression was on the right track.

Ultimately, though, the Blues came to a decision that their midfield mix was perhaps more balanced without Prespakis following the return to form and fitness of two-way runners and pressure players like Mimi Hill and Maddy Guerin. The club subsequently pushed Prespakis to a half-forward role late last season and believes its midfield operated significantly better in the month afterwards.

Amused as heck that Carlton couldn’t invest any more into her, got salty about it and played the reigning league BnF at half forward

 

[Lore]

Seems to always be some sort of injured but plays brilliantly nonetheless. Still has some sort of padding on her thigh as well from the corkie she got in the pre-season practice game

Maddy suffered a slight sprain to her wrist in the first half on Sunday’s game but played out the game with no concerns. She will be available for selection this week.

AFLW performance update: Round three

All the latest performance and injury news ahead of round three.

www.essendonfc.com.au

 

[Lore]

Perfect 10

 

[Lore]

Just about brought her own footy today, 37 touches! According to the commentary that’s the equal second in the league for most touches in a game ever.

 

[Lore]

Outright 2nd!

 

[Lore]

 

[naraku]

What a gun! I didn't get to see the match, but damn, what a star Maddy is !

 

[Lore]

 

[Lore]

Named in the AA squad of 42

 

[Lore]

And nominated for the 22under22 as midfielder and captain:

AFLW: Prespakis nominated for 22Under22

Cast your vote for Madison Prespakis to be selected into the AFLW 22Under22 squad

www.essendonfc.com.au

Need to vote for her!

AFLPA #22Under22 AFLW 2022

Choose your AFLW #22Under22 team now and if your team matches the final fan-voted AFLW #22Under22, you could WIN an AFLW #22Under22 guernsey signed by the Captain and Vice Captain, PLUS your choice of Apple AirPods Pro OR Samsung Galaxy Bud Pros, thanks to Snaffle! PICK YOUR TEAM NOW!

22under22.com.au

 

[Lore]

 

[VelvetSledge]

Cmon Maddy!

 

[TheGrizz]

She won't be much chance against Melbourne unfortunately.

She balled out against Port though. If she gets a three voter there she is a chance.

 

[Lore]

Dead set

That speech

 

[Lore]

That speech, for anyone who wants to watch it. Bit of a tearjerker

 

[VelvetSledge]

Ah she’s a superstar. Couldn’t be happier to have her at our club

 

[Lore]

Looks like she's been out recruiting, at least two of the new players in the last week are close with her.

Brooke Walker was an ex-teammate at Carlton who wants to play with Maddy P, Georgia Gee and Jo Doonan again (and knows her well enough to throw some shade her way in the welcome interview). Also mentioned something about reinvigorating her career and challenging herself which sounds remarkably similar to Maddy's reason for signing with Essendon last June.

Kodi Jacques (who came across from Richmond), when she signed her instagram was full of very-excited-Maddy turning up outside her house with red and black balloons and a giant inflatable hand

She legit seems to be everywhere, at the club in the off-season, training and doing stuff. We are now the Maddy Prespakis football club

 

[yodellinhank]

Looks like she's been out recruiting, at least two of the new players in the last week are close with her.

Brooke Walker was an ex-teammate at Carlton who wants to play with Maddy P, Georgia Gee and Jo Doonan again (and knows her well enough to throw some shade her way in the welcome interview). Also mentioned something about reinvigorating her carer and challenging herself which sounds remarkably similar to Maddy's reason for signing with Essendon last June.

Kodi Jacques (who came across from Richmond), when she signed her instagram was full of very-excited-Maddy turning up outside her house with red and black balloons and a giant inflatable hand

She legit seems to be everywhere, at the club in the off-season, training and doing stuff. We are now the Maddy Prespakis football club

If she could just get her sister, and her sister get Nina Morrison

 

[RedmanWasHere]

If she could just get her sister, and her sister get Nina Morrison

And they get Georgia Rankin to tag along.

 

[Lore]

Looks like Hawthorne just broke a rib or two

 

[ghostdog]

Looks like Hawthorne just broke a rib or two

If broken ribs, how long out? 6 weeks?

 

[Lore]

And she's back on the ground with a couple of pills

 

[Lore]

If broken ribs, how long out? 6 weeks?

Ridley played with them a couple of years ago iirc

Depends on pain tolerance but she's back out there and there's no way the pills she took less than 5 minutes ago are working yet

 

[Lore]

So in a game that lasted less than 2 hours, and in which she was carried off the ground and missed about half of the third quarter, she still got as many stats as the best mids in the AFL would get in twice as much game time.

 

[Pweter]

So in a game that lasted less than 2 hours, and in which she was carried off the ground and missed about half of the third quarter, she still got as many stats as the best mids in the AFL would get in twice as much game time.

She plays the ground ball like the quality ground ball men. Never rushed, never panics, one grab, wears contact, often pushes through contact.

Sounds like BrunoV's kind of player