Not many people can say they remember their first game of footy. But for Cara McCrossan, it was when she ran out with the Casey Demons in round one of this year’s VFLW season. 

She still admits to having to ask the umpires where to stand or what to do during certain parts of a match, but overall, Cara McCrossan has taken to footy like a duck to water.

In only her first year of playing Australian rules football, she’s quickly become one of Casey’s most important players as it remains on top of the ladder and undefeated this VFLW season.

With six goals in seven matches and a trademark style of tenacity and pressure, McCrossan hasn’t looked out of her depth since joining the Casey Demons VFLW program. Averaging a tick over 13 disposals and four marks a game, McCrossan has transitioned seamlessly into the Australian game after trying her hand at Gaelic football for much of her childhood.

And it’s all been through hard work. Despite rejections from two other VFLW clubs and having to drive two and a half hours from work to get to training and games, McCrossan’s determination and strong will is evident when she steps foot on the field. But the unique cog of Casey’s successful run in 2022 first started unwillingly honing her skills for footy when she was playing a different game across the other side of the world.

“I’ve played Gaelic football since I was young, I actually can’t say when I started because I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t playing Gaelic,” McCrossan told Casey Media.

McCrossan’s sport origins stem from her local Gaelic club in Omagh. Situated in the county Tyrone, McCrossan isn’t the one and only Gaelic player from the area to excel with the oval ball in Australia.

“I always had an interest in Australia as (former Essendon AFL player) Conor McKenna is from Tyrone too and he ended up at Essendon, so when I was in Australia, I went to a few of his games to support him,” McCrossan said.

In her own humble way, it’s clear that McCrossan is downplaying her own talents with the round ball. Having gone to training with her father, who was the coach of Omagh’s men’s team, since she could walk, McCrossan’s interest in the sport quickly turned to getting involved herself. By the age of 11 she was in the Under-14s side and was playing with up to four teams a week through her school years. It’s no wonder by the time McCrossan graduated from university she was burnt out from Gaelic football and held no motivation to pursue it at a higher level.

“I fell out of love with the game and sport in general,” McCrossan said. “So I wanted a break. I told my partner I wanted to go to Australia and he had cousins in Melbourne, so we decided to come down.”

Originally slated to only be in Melbourne for a year, it’s been five years since McCrossan and her partner made the journey across the other side of the world.

“I’m still here,” she cheekily laughed.

And Casey would be so grateful she chose to remain in Australia. Having worked as a machine operator for years, McCrossan’s journey with Australian football began during lockdown last year. With the AFL being the only entertainment on TV throughout the winter, McCrossan admitted she got bored and thought she’d try a new sport. McCrossan was fortunate enough to have friends who played in the AFLW, so she turned to them.

The first footy-playing friend she got in touch with set her up with a skills coach from a different VFLW team so McCrossan could start learning the intricacies of the oval ball. After feeling ready to apply for VFLW lists, McCrossan was rejected by the VFLW club that her skills coach was aligned with. Another friend asked McCrossan to join her in applying for a different club, but they also rejected the Irish woman’s application.

These rejections would’ve turned a weaker spirit away from pursuing their wish, but McCrossan was made of sturdier stuff. Being denied only motivated her more, and some helpful words from her partner kept the fire flickering.  

“After I kept getting rejected it made me want to play even more,” McCrossan said. “My partner told me I needed to go and do more trials and that I was good enough to play at that level.

“So I went onto google and Casey came up. It was the only club where the due date to submit the application hadn’t passed, so I applied.”

It was roughly 7AM on a Thursday morning when McCrossan got the call from Casey asking her to try out that Saturday. She was quick to pounce on the opportunity to strut her stuff, and was promptly offered a contract and the chance to be on Casey’s VFLW list for the 2022 season straight after the trial. She accepted and never looked back.

“I was in shock more than anything when I got offered the contract,” McCrossan said. “I said yes straightaway before the words could finish coming out of their mouths. I was so happy.”

Although it seemed like the fairy tale ending for McCrossan, the gruelling return to a sport pre-season wasn’t easy. Working in Ravenhall at the time, McCrossan had to finish work early twice a week and stop working on Saturday’s just to make the two-and-a-half-hour trip across Melbourne to Casey Fields. On those days, she would leave the house before 6AM and not return until after 10PM.

“It was all tough to adjust to,” McCrossan said. “Even just the workload; I wasn’t used to being at training for over three hours, especially if I wanted to keep working on my skills after training, so it was a massive change compared to what I was used to.”

But McCrossan was quick to get over the “shock to the system” she faced. Two months ago, she became a health and safety advisor at her work, meaning she could work from home and have her own ute to drive to and from Casey Fields with, save plenty of transit time in her week.

Unsure about how she would fair when the VFLW season actually came around, McCrossan has pleasantly surprised many, including herself. Just last week VFLW coach Peter Mercoulia told Casey Media he saw McCrossan as someone capable of playing AFLW footy right now, and she’s only played seven games of footy in her life. After facing some heartbreak and a tough adjustment period, McCrossan believes it was fate that she ended up with the Demons.

“When it comes to not getting picked for the other two teams, I do believe things happen for a reason and that really did happen with me,” McCrossan said.

“Casey has been amazing. I’ve gotten to train with Melbourne a few times, and if you told me that this time last year, I wouldn’t have believed it – the opportunities have been unbelievable.”

She said she is loving everything about Casey. From her coaches to her teammates, McCrossan has listened intently to keep learning about the game. Although she still admits to not knowing all of the rules, she has noticed her own skills evolving as the season progresses.

“I’ve just been listening to the coaches as I don’t have any previous knowledge, so everything they tell me I’ve just been trying to break it down and bring it into my own game,” McCrossan said.

“I’m trying to keep it simple and not overthink. Every game the coaches have given me more and more things to work on and I love that.”

What McCrossan loves about Casey most is she hasn’t felt like she hasn’t played a game of footy before when she’s around the club. In her mind, the people around her have given her time to find her own feet and work on her strengths. She said it’s allowed her to showcase her unique skillset which she brings from her time playing Gaelic football.

“For example, I know where to be on the pitch and I know the right footwork, so they’ve let me use my strengths and adapt them to AFL,” McCrossan said.

“The tackling was the hardest to adjust to because in Gaelic we aren’t allowed to tackle, or if you do then you get sin binned or sent off for rough contact.

“It’s all about the physicality. In my first game against Port Melbourne I got a few knocks and thought ‘welcome to footy’, as it was tough and it’s not just about running around and kicking a ball.”

But McCrossan already said she enjoys the tackling side of the game more and is scared for when she does return to Gaelic football and find herself in the sin bin more often.

Although higher honours might be on the horizon for McCrossan, she isn’t looking too far ahead. She’s already outstayed her own plans to be in Australia and doesn’t know when she’ll be heading back to see family and friends. But if an AFLW club comes knocking, she admitted she wouldn’t be opposed to having a go at the top level.

“I don’t look too far ahead,” McCrossan said. “We did a questionnaire at the start of the year and I said I wanted to focus on being a VFLW player and trying to learn the game.”

“I just want to learn the game and be the best I can be. If that means I get to play AFLW then it would be an amazing opportunity and I’d take it any day.

“My partner and I don’t see us living in Australia, but if an AFLW opportunity came I would definitely take it.”