Growing up, Seymour’s Sophie Locke adored all things brown-and-gold.
Following in the footsteps of her diehard Hawthorn-supporting mother, she watched her beloved Hawks dominate the AFL for the best part of 10 years, winning four premierships in the process.
Little did she know that one day she would be able to call herself a Hawthorn footballer.
But for the persistent 20-year-old, that dream came true last week as the club made the trip up the Hume Hwy to announce the Seymour resident as its third AFLW player ahead of its introduction to the competition next season.
“I don’t even know if it has sunk in yet, to be honest,” Locke said of being able to call herself a Hawk.
“Reliving it over the past couple of days, I still can’t believe it happened. It is pretty unbelievable and it is just so crazy to think I will actually be a Hawthorn player.”
The news came as a complete shock to Locke, who went down to seniors’ training with the Seymour Lions completely unaware the Hawks contingent would be on hand.
“I had no idea. I had the night off training and Dad told me Benny Davey wanted me to come down to training with the Lions and to help him shoot a promotion video, so that’s why when I saw all the camera people, I didn’t suspect anything,” she said.
“It wasn’t till Benny called me out the front of the group and said Hawthorn are here that I thought ‘oh my god, this is happening’.
“Mum and Dad knew for a week and I didn’t, but I loved the fact they organised it as a surprise.”
Locke’s football journey has been one of hard work and perseverance as she climbed the ranks from local football to NAB League to the VFL, where she most recently plied her trade with Port Melbourne.
“I have had a pretty good run with having great coaches at all levels of football which have pushed me to want to work harder and be the best I can be,” she said.
“Doing a lot of extra training through lockdowns and things like that, I always knew I had to keep training because there is always someone in the same position as me training for the same spot on an AFLW list.
“You have to put in the effort to get the reward, so doing all those extras and things, I love it and it’s great to see it’s paying off.”
She has also been a constant at training with the Seymour Lions senior men’s side, which she said had a massive impact on her growth as a footballer.
“I have loved (training with the boys). I’ve got a bit of a running joke that I’ve got 40 brothers out at Seymour. They have just been so supportive, so welcoming and helpful as I continue to learn the game,” she said.
“I will always go straight to the boys for tips on my game and where I can improve. Benny the coach has been so supportive letting me join in with all the drills. I don’t know any other girl who could join in with the senior boys.”
While the starting date for the next AFLW season, and Hawthorn’s debut in the competition, is still up in the air, Locke believes the hard work she has put in will pay off in adapting to the elite level.
“It still feels like so far away because we are still waiting to confirm the rest of the list and things like that, but I am super excited to get into it,” she said.
“I have only had one little taste of playing against the AFLW girls in a practice match with Richmond, but I feel with my experience in the VFL and training with the boys at Seymour, I’m confident I will fit in.
“It will still take a lot of hard work to be consistent at that higher level, but I will take every training head on and just keep trying to become the best player I can be.”