One of the most decorated AFL Women’s exports from the Goulburn Valley was more than happy to embrace a sense of community in Essendon’s recent visit.
Mansfield product Bonnie Toogood, coming into another season as Bombers skipper after a premiership-winning stint at Western Bulldogs, was among the red and black cohort which took over schools and parks across Shepparton during the week.
Toogood was in attendance for a raft of on and off-field club activities, speaking to The News after running a skills clinic for the children of Kialla Central Primary School on Tuesday.
She certainly hadn’t forgotten the area in the club’s long commute up north, either.
“You know the dads who are like ‘I’ve been there and there’ when you’re out driving? I’ve been that person on the trip up here,” Toogood said.
“I was pointing out places on the way like ‘I’ve lived there or I played netball up there’; we came up to Rumbalara for open training and a smoking ceremony before a session at Deakin Reserve.
“With eight or nine cars out going to different schools across the region, it’s really good for so many of us to have a far reach in the Shepparton community.”
The goals of the trip are certainly noble and it’s a cause Essendon has demonstrated a full commitment to in the region after its men’s side made a Community Camp visit of its own in February.
Spruiking not just the benefits of Australian rules, but the wider realm of getting involved in physical activity from a young age, sits top of the priority list.
“At Essendon, we want to inspire and connect in order to champion the cause of getting those participation numbers up,” Toogood said.
“If we can share the feeling of what the sport did for us growing up, that’s super important.
“The men were able to come up here and connect a few months ago and it’s equally important for us AFLW players to come up and inspire boys and girls to get into football or just sport in general.
“It’s a good full-club approach for us to come here and do that.”
Of course, other matters lie ahead for the Bombers as the 2024 AFLW season kicks off before too long.
Coming up short in its maiden finals appearance after two seasons in the competition, the 2023 club best-and-fairest pulls no punches in outlining what she considers realistic.
“I’m pretty bullish on what this team can achieve and the pre-season we’ve had after finals last year,” Toogood said.
“For me personally as someone in leadership, I know we want to get back not just to that position, but to go further.
“We won’t shy away from the word ‘finals’, as we know most every club is out there to do that each season.
“We’ve tinkered with the plan to make sure it can stack up with the top teams, so team success is at the top with improvement year-on-year.
“Keeping that at the forefront and working hard individually will benefit the collective.”