By: Megan Hustwaite
Twitter: @MeganHustwaite
Leesa McShane has seen women’s football blossom and evolve before her eyes.
The Bayswater spearhead was just 12 years old when she debuted in the Victorian Women’s Football League, vying with players twice her age, height and weight.
“Back then it was compulsory to wear shin guards, a mouthguard and helmet if you were under 15. And it was definitely a little scary coming up against the bigger women, that’s for sure,” McShane said.
“I was playing full forward back then too. I’d pretty much just stand there in the goal square, the ball would come down to me and I’d just kick it and it’d go through.
“My first team was Boronia but it was so rare to have a women’s football team back then so sides would end up folding and you’d have to find somewhere else to go and play. There weren’t usually clubs close to home so I went from Boronia to the Eastern Lions to Scoresby, I was at Bayswater then Knox and now I’m back at Bayswater for a second stint.
“It’s taken a while but now women’s footy is finally in a great place.”
And so is McShane.
After 13 rounds, the 29-year-old leads the Deakin Uni Senior Women’s goal kicking with 33 goals, nine clear of Mount Evelyn duo Melanie Hogg (24) and Katelyn Betts (21).
She’s kicked bags of seven (against Upper Ferntree Gully) and five (against Norwood and Yarra Junction) while leading the Waters to a 10-2 record and second place on the ladder.
“This is probably the best team I’ve played in and I’m really enjoying our team atmosphere, they’re all really good girls and really friendly. Bayswater’s a really nice club to be around,’’ she said.
“The team work has been the real key to our success this season I think, it’s cliché but we are a team. I didn’t really know many of the girls before this year so it’s taken time for us to get to know each other and how we all play.
“I reckon we all play together as team really well. I kick the goals, I have the easy job really but credit has to go to our mids and backs who are just amazing and get the ball up to me.
“Last year at Knox they put me in the midfield, I didn’t really like it and I was a bit unfit as well. My home is in the forward line, that’s where I enjoy my footy most and if you kick a goal then that’s a bonus.”
McShane is proud of how the game has grown at all levels and received the recognition it richly deserves. She says her club and league are proof of the boom.
“It really is amazing. I couldn’t believe how big, but also how good this competition was,’’ she said.
“I wasn’t really up to speed on how big the EFL women’s comp was this year. I sort of just rocked up to Bayswater and thought we’d be playing teams on the other side of Melbourne again but all the teams are close by and the side most furthest away is probably Waverley and that’s only half an hour away.
“We used to play Geelong and Ballarat back in the day so to have most grounds 10 minutes away is amazing.”
Bayswater has been the second-best side all year, setting the pace behind ladder-leader Mount Evelyn, and McShane and her team believe they can buck a poor recent finals trend and go on to win an historic flag.
“We’re absolutely hoping and believing we can go all the way,’’ she said.
“We came close to knocking Mount Ev off a few weeks ago, we were leading all day then just lost it in the last quarter which wasn’t fun. We’ve watched the video back, looked at the things we did wrong and what we need to work on, both as a team and individually.
“We think we’re a pretty good chance of winning the flag this year and I believe if we were to it would be the first one for the Bayswater women’s team which would be fantastic.
“Our captain was saying the other day that every time we’ve been in finals we’ve got absolutely hammered so the plan is for that not to happen this year.”
