Girl power: The AFLW stars smashing through barriers
Not content with blazing a trail on the footy field, Haneen Zreika and Monique Conti are intent on carving out new pathways for girls in sport.
One is a zippy midfielder and the first Muslim player to pull on boots in the AFL Women’s competition.
The other is a cross-code champion who spent the first four years of her football career juggling two elite sports.
They might have travelled different roads to sporting success but Greater Western Sydney’s Haneen Zreika and Richmond’s Monique Conti have one thing in common — they’re both determined to make a difference for the girls coming up behind them.
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“I didn’t even know what AFL was”
A 157cm pocket rocket, Haneen grew up in western Sydney and came to football from a rugby league background, debuting for the GWS Giants in 2019.
She started playing rugby league when she was six in a boys’ team with her two brothers and had never heard of the AFL was when she was asked if she wanted to give it a go.
“My teacher said, ‘Haneen, just catch, kick and tackle and you’ll be all right’ and I went out and played and then joined a local team and I loved it,” Haneen told House of Wellness TV.
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How Haneen is opening the doors to diversity
Having now cemented herself as a regular member of the Giants line-up, Haneen is passionate about empowering others from diverse backgrounds.
“Being the first Muslim AFLW player is incredible — I’ve been so lucky that I’ve had the support of so many people to get me to where I am and I want to pave the way for the next generation,” the 22-year-old says.
“I want to see more young Muslim girls be given the opportunity.
“I want to coach girls, develop girls and make a pathway for those who don’t have that to create an opportunity for them.”
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Monique’s tough choice
Like Haneen, Monique Conti has always been sports mad, falling in love with both football and basketball from a young age.
By age 18, she was fulfilling both of her passions as a star player for the Western Bulldogs football team and Melbourne Boomers in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL).
Despite an overwhelming schedule, in her first AFLW season Monique managed to score best on ground in the Bulldogs’ premiership win just a couple of weeks after playing the WNBL finals.
Eventually, though, Monique had to choose a sport to focus on, which she told House of Wellness TV, was “one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made.”
She chose football.
In 2020, she moved to Punt Road, home to the Richmond Football Club, for the Tigers’ inaugural season, her ability earning her back-to-back best and fairest awards and inclusion in the All-Australian side.
Monique wanted to prove the boys wrong
Despite her success, Monique has never forgotten the early years of her football career.
“When I started, there was no girls’ teams, so I played with the boys and they’d be in your ear saying, ‘It’s a boys’ sport. You shouldn’t be playing here. I’m going to hurt you’,” she recalls.
“I think I found some sort of drive in that, wanting to prove those people wrong.
“I just let my football do the talking and I’ve been doing that until this day.
“One thing that keeps me going me every day now is knowing that myself and a lot of others are really strong role models for the girls coming through.
“They want to be like us, and we’re out there and we’re showing them that they can do it.”
Written by Liz McGrath.
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