Erin Phillips and Daisy Pearce are the first AFLW players to be inducted in the Australian Football Hall of Fame, joining pioneer Debbie Lee as female inductees.
Their achievements in the sport are outstanding and have been crucial through the formative years of AFLW. With the inaugural season commencing in 2017, both players made an impact on the game’s image, credibility and presence in the media.
Daisy Pearce’s impact
Daisy Pearce is widely referred to as the “face of the AFLW,” highlighting remarkable achievements in the course of her career.
Well before the league’s creation, Pearce was often used by the AFL in media and promotion due to her communication and leadership skills.
Before the AFLW officially launched in 2017, the beloved Melbourne Demons leader was already a standout player in the Victorian Women's Football League and later the VFL Women's. She captained Melbourne in multiple women’s exhibition matches in 2013-2016.
Pearce made an impact in the media too, becoming the first female special commentator on Channel Seven’s AFL coverage in 2021, further normalising women’s presence in a traditionally male-dominated sport. She later received wide praise for her presenting and interviewing skills over the years.
The three time All-Australian said at the AFL Hall of Fame ceremony, “For a long time I thought I was doing it for the next generation and it wouldn’t have been something that I’d get to play in myself.”
After retiring in 2023, Pearce transitioned into coaching and took on the role of senior coach for the West Coast Eagles' AFLW team. Along with her new role, she continues contributing to AFL broadcasting.
Erin Phillips’ contribution
Erin Phillips’ career is one of the most decorated in AFLW. The then-31-year old debuted in AFLW in 2017 and made a mark right away. She won the league's inaugural Best and Fairest award, was named Most Valuable Player by the AFL Players' Association, and earned Best on Ground honours in the Grand Final, where she led Adelaide to the premiership.
Phillips grew up knowing playing footy was one thing she wanted to do the most, however before becoming an elite footy player, she earned multiple rewards in basketball, including an Olympic silver medal in 2008.
To Debbie Lee, the first ever woman to be inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame and one of the biggest league advocates, she said, “You kicked down this door so others could walk through.”
Leaving her father, also an AFL Hall of Fame inductee and a Port Adelaide great, in tears by her speech, the AFLW star said “I can’t imagine how hard it would have been to tell your 13-year-old daughter that she couldn’t play the game she loves any more.”
“And 27 years later, she’s standing next to you in the Hall of Fame.”
The Adelaide Port star announced her retirement at the end of 2023 season after having played eight seasons, and since then has been a devoted ambassador and an expert commentator on games, further cementing AFLW presence on screens.
Eligibility Rule Change
The five-year player eligibility rule for the Hall of Fame was changed for women last year. AFLW players can now be inducted within a year of retirement, which made Phillips’ and Pearce’s cases first to benefit from the change.
Debbie Lee was inducted in 2021, seven years after her retirement.