Fremantle defender Laura Pugh credited her teammates for the ‘extraordinary’ support and culture built within the team at the Club’s International Women’s Day luncheon held earlier in the week.

The experienced AFLW defender said it was inspirational to hear from so many women from different walks of life at the event, which featured almost 600 guests.

“Every day is pretty extraordinary that I get to be with the teammates and staff that I have. It’s really special,” Pugh said. 

“Having people who are believing in you is really important. I know we have that fully at the Club with our coaches and all our staff.

“You are able to perform and able to be vulnerable in that environment. If you know that people believe in you, that’s the most important thing.”

During the event, fellow AFLW player Aine Tighe echoed Pugh’s comments, saying the support at the Club ran from the top to bottom of the organisation. 

“From Simon (Garlick) all the way down, when we walk into the footy Club we just feel like footy players and have the exact same access to facilities, to support systems like Angie (Bain), nutrition, dieticians, strength and conditioning coaches,” the Irish international said.

“We just want to be athletes and footy players at the end of the day… and to have the opportunity for us to challenge ourselves and female sport forward is really what we want to do for the next generation.”