TO describe Eliza McNamara’s last two years in football would be to describe a rollercoaster of resilience and hard work.

From a season-ending back injury to a triumphant return, the Demon has seen her fair share of highs and lows.

But with the dust settled on the 2024 AFLW season, it’s clear how far McNamara has come, now one of the most impressive wingers in the competition.  

This season saw the 22-year-old put together a career-best campaign averaging 22 disposals, five tackles and seven intercepts (a team high).

When looking back on her year, and a season that would put her in the AFLPA’s 22Under22 team, McNamara was humble, putting it down to her pre-season work paying off.

“I guess for myself, you put in a lot of time and effort in the off-season and do lots of little intricate things [to get better],” McNamara said.

“To be able to get through every game, play consistently and not worry about my body, that's one stress gone.

“Then you're able to focus on your footy, which has been good.

“I think there's just little things as well, like working on hands before every training and those habits that you do as often as you can.”

McNamara is no stranger to hard work off the field, having spent 12 months on the sidelines after suffering the aforementioned back injury.

She made her successful return to footy during Round 1 last year, but with it being such a significant injury, it even continued to restrict her in 2023, making this season all the more important.
 
“I think last season was a lot about just getting through the season with my back,” McNamara said.

“[My injury] meant not being able to train contest work and tackling consistently, which was just killing me because then I’d get into games and that would be the weakest part of my game.

“I could consistently train it throughout the whole season, which was huge, and having the expertise of Max Viney was big.”

An avid runner and a work horse along the wing, McNamara has spent much of her career on the outside of the contest.

However, this season saw her enjoy brief stints deep in the midfield which she made the most of, averaging close to three clearances a game.

Adding another string to her bow, McNamara was grateful for the opportunity to mix it up in the midfield.

“We had a few injuries in pre-season and so it kind of meant that we didn't have enough players for wings so I was just training as a mid in pre-season, which was so fun” McNamara said.

“You get to work right alongside Kate [Hore] and [Tyla] Hanksy and Liv Purcell and just the whole mid group, it’s awesome.

“Then we’re kind of building that on-ground connection and come game day, I might not be actually playing in that mid bubble, but they know you’re there just through sheer repetition at training.

“Vin’s [Chungue – midfield coach] been awesome too. We do vision every week and he’s able to do that for every player in the group.

“So, with that kind of care, you really want to go out and be able to play your role and do exactly what he wants you to do.

“You know that he's put all this extra time into making sure that you're seeing the positives of the game and where there's room for improvement.

“He’s been huge for the group.”

In addition to McNamara’s growth on-field, a natural development of her game has been a step up in leadership.

With injuries allowing the young cohort of Demons to make their mark in the team, it meant that the likes of McNamara, Maeve Chaplin, Megan Fitzsimon all had the chance to show their strength as leaders.

So, as she looks ahead to next season, with a fresh sense of responsibility, McNamara believes that the takeaways from this year will set them up for something bigger in the future.

“I think there was a bit of pride in the way the girls shifted their attitude this season,” McNamara said.

“Last season, there was a lot of negativity around our losses and it kind of turned into frustration.

“And even when we were losing, it wasn't about it not working anymore, it was really about persisting.

“I think Mick was really pleased with that.

“And now we’ve got a bit of a job to do next year, re-establish ourselves and get back in the top eight.”