‘I feel as though everyone’s quite shocked’: Inside Ally Morphett’s rapid rise in the AFLW

Sydney Swans AFLW superstar Ally Morphett didn’t know where her career would take her after being traded from the Greater Western Sydney Giants in 2022.

Unlike most young girls coming through, Morphett was introduced to the game of football at a very young age but didn’t play women’s football until later on.

“I‘ve always grown up around footy in terms of family, half of my family are huge Swans supporters. I grew up on quite a small farm and just really been in love with footy because my family was, “ Morphett told House of Footy.

“My first game of women’s AFL was actually for my high school, and it was genuinely because all my friends were joining up.”

After being a part of the Giants Academy for several years, Morphett was drafted by the club ahead of the 2022 season.

In her seven games with the Giants, she struggled to make a major impact but showed some positive signs for the future.

But not only she could’ve predicted the steep rise that her game would take.

Morphett had uncertainty about whether she would get drafted at all, before being picked up with pick 37.

The rising star said that despite playing regular games with GWS in her first season, she was playing to a level that wasn’t really “up to my standard.”

“There obviously were those doubts in my head about whether I was going to get picked up or not, but I’m so grateful for my time spent at the Giants,” she said.

“I feel as though last year, I was playing okay footy, but it just wasn’t really up to my standard.”

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Growing up as a passionate Sydney Swans supporter, Morphett found the decision to leave the Giants tough but felt that her heart “always belonged at the Swans.”

“When Sydney approached me towards the end of my Giants season, it was a very hard choice for me to make but at the end of the day I really wanted to be a part of the amazing culture that they have here (at Sydney),” she said.

“Being a part of an inaugural AFLW team is something I absolutely would love to have had to my name and being a special part of history to this club, just the fact that I supported them ever since I was a little girl.”

Despite realising her dream of playing for the Swans, the star ruck found the transition difficult, with the whole process nothing like she had experienced before.

“It was quite a transition in terms of going from one club to another. I didn’t really know how to go about it, being at the Giants, fresh 18 (years old) and I had never really been a part of anyone leaving a club before or being traded,” she said.

“It was a fresh experience that I sorted out myself, but I’m really happy with where I’m at.”

A major turning point in her career came after Morphett’s first season at Sydney where she spoke to the coaches. They believed there was a potentially great player that would only reveal itself if she worked harder.

“I had a turning point towards the end of the season where I said ‘I’ve been told by a lot of past junior and AFL coaches that I have talent that not a lot of girls have’,” she said.

“I don’t really want to be known as a person who has this huge chunk of talent who just didn’t work hard enough to reach her potential.”

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That was the firestarter inside the towering footballer that was needed, so Morphett put together her best pre-season, thinning down to be primed for the season ahead.

The pre-season involved going on gruelling daily runs with her father at their farm back home in Wagga Wagga, which saw her lose the best part of 10 kilograms.

“I went home for a fair bit, I ended up running like four kilometres nearly every day just thinking about the footy side of things and how it’s going to benefit my footy”, she said.

A source of motivation for Morphett was to repay her family for all the hard work and support they had given her to make it to the top level.

“The fact that so many people have put hard work into me and my talent. I wanted to do this hard work, just thinking that if I did that hard work, then it’s going to help pay off,” she said.

“The trade between Giants and Sydney, I feel as though I wasn’t 110 per cent with my footy and I wasn’t really taking it to the next level. I was kind of going through the motions.”

She has since gone on to become one of the young stars in the competition, featuring in the AFLW team of the week in three of the first five rounds in 2023, as well as securing a Rising Star nomination in round one.

Possessing a strong overhead mark and booming leg, Morphett is highly regarded as one of the most exciting players in the AFLW.

She is also excited about the opportunity for an emerging young side to become a powerhouse team of the future.

“Obviously really humbled by the rising star nom but even more excited about being a part of the history of the club and being on the field with the girls,” she said.

Morphett recalled being a part of the club’s inaugural victory against her old side, where she played a fair contribution in the win.

“It was really good and the vibe at the oval was immaculate. There were 8,000 people there, the crowd was so loud and really helped us get up and about,” she said.

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Although the Swans have been newly introduced to the AFLW competition, Morphett and her team dare to dream about success in the not-too-distant future.

“I personally think we could have a fair shot at making it to finals this year, but there are still a few things that we need to tidy up on,” she said.

“We’ve shown some really good glimpses of how great we can be this season.”

Currently standing as the best ruck in the game, Morphett’s rise to stardom has taken her and the overall footy community by storm.

“I feel as though everyone’s quite shocked by the fact that I’ve come back, and I’ve been a really strong, consistent player,” she said.

“But at the same time I’m only 19 and I’ve played under 20 AFL games so I’m still growing as a player.”