Football has always been in the blood of Benalla product Becky Webster.
Growing up kicking the footy in the backyard with her brother, she always dreamed of being able to play the game she loved on the national stage and follow in the footsteps of the AFL idols she idolised on TV.
This was a dream many young girls thought was out of reach, but Webster recalls always having faith that one day she would reach the big time.
“I remember one conversation with my brother thinking they will have to let the girls play in the AFL competition one day, that was definitely my thinking at the time,” Webster said.
Fast forward 10 years and the 21-year-old can be found donning the most famous hoops in Australian football on the national stage as a key cog in Geelong’s young AFLW side.
A story which epitomises the effect the AFLW has had on girls across the country, Webster found herself in the right place at the right time, with pathways to the elite level just beginning to open when she got to the age where playing with the boys was no longer an option.
Having just begun her fourth season at AFLW level, she reflects on how she fell in love with the game and her journey through junior football.
“Growing up watching my brother kick the footy with Dad I just followed in his footsteps really,” Webster said.
“I started out in the back yard kicking with him and then went through Auskick and all that sort of stuff before joining the Benalla Giants in the boys’ team, I think I was one of just two girls in the whole competition, but they were always welcoming.
“After under-14s when I couldn’t play with the boys anymore, I looked for options elsewhere and I think started my girls footy journey in Wangaratta before moving on to Mooroopna where I met a lot more of the local girls like Millie Brown and Grace Egan.
“You could say I went through the pathways at the right time because Murray Bushrangers and Victoria Country was really starting to invest in their girls’ programs, and I just went through there before being lucky enough to get drafted.”
After showing great promise through the Murray Bushrangers program, Geelong had seen enough to take a chance on the Benalla born midfielder, selecting Webster with pick seven in the 2018 national draft.
Joining the Cats for their inaugural AFLW season in 2019, the then 18-year-old would feature in four matches in her debut campaign, before showing greater signs of consistency in 2020 making six AFLW appearances.
It wouldn’t be until 2021 that the self-proclaimed contested “hard-nut” would be given an opportunity through the midfield, where she immediately began to thrive, playing every game and averaging 15.1 disposals in a season that also included a Rising Star nomination.
Stamping herself as one of the Cats’ key midfield contributors, Webster has again taken her game to another level in 2022, averaging 16 disposals and six tackles a game through the first three games of the season.
“It has been really good,” Webster said of her increased responsibility through the midfield this season.
“We have a good connection in there, making it easier for me to play my role and find the footy a bit more which has been good.
“Having a bit more time through the midfield has been awesome, being around the ball more and able to influence the contest I feel like it has really played to my strengths.”
Another part of her game that has really flourished this season is her work around the contest, which Webster said was a real focus of hers in the off-season.
“It is something I have wanted to work on for a long time and with our new method of really pressing on our players and moving forward towards the contest that’s really helped with getting my tackle numbers up,” she said.
“It hasn’t just been me though, our whole midfield has been great, and the numbers are showing that.”
While the Cats don’t have anything to show for their improvement in terms of wins yet, a string of competitive performances to open the year once again has Webster feeling optimistic.
“As much as losing hurts, we have been playing a brand of footy that we enjoy and are really putting the pressure on,” she said.
“We have faced some really good teams in the last couple of weeks, so I don’t think it’s put a dampener on what we have been trying to do and I think over the next few games we will continue to grow and hopefully put some wins on the board.”
But for Webster winning games of football isn’t the most important thing, rather being able to help inspire the next generation of footballers.
To all those young girls from Benalla to Echuca growing up football obsessed like her, she had this message.
“I think just enjoy it, enjoy your young years of playing football and work hard,” she said.
“There are a lot of girls now in the same boat wanting to get to that elite level, so if you want it enough you’ll work hard enough for it and be able to achieve your goals.”