Star Fremantle midfielder Hayley Miller is set to take the 2020 NAB AFL Women’s season by storm, according to teammate Lindal Rohde.
Rohde and Miller are also teammates with Subiaco in the WAFLW, and the pair took out two of the major end of season awards in 2019, with Miller winning her second straight best and fairest and Rohde winning rookie of the year.
Miller was recently voted in as a member of Fremantle’s leadership group and Rohde expects her to lead by example on the field.
“I think Hayley has probably gone to another level and I can’t wait to see her play in the actual season,” Rohde said.
“I think she’s going to have an absolute blinder. She’s got her fitness up, she’s got her body right and we saw at WAFLW level how explosive and damaging she is with the ball.
“I think she will be exactly the same at AFLW level.”
A former netballer, Rohde has leaned on Miller at both Subiaco and Fremantle as she transitions to her new sport.
After impressing on the wing at Subi, Rohde has continued her rise on the track at Fremantle and could be a likely starter in the midfield alongside her Lions teammate.
“Everyone has been super welcoming but Hayley, in particular, has taken me under her wing,” Rohde said.
“For myself, being a cross coder and coming from another sport, she’s really taken the time to explain things to me.
“We’re used to communicating with each other already so I think she knows my learning style and how to communicate with me, so I’m grateful that I already have that connection with her from Subi and that’s carried through.”
As the executive leader of corporate services at the Wirrpanda Foundation, Rohde also has a close connection with the other half of town, working at the home of Freo’s cross town rivals.
She shares an office with former Dockers and now Eagles players Alicia Janz, Cassie Davidson and Emily McGuire.
Brady Grey, another former Docker, also works at the foundation and is the stoppage and skills coach of the Eagles WAFLW side.
Fortunately Rohde has some back-up when it comes to office banter in the lead up to the inaugural Derby W in round two at Optus Stadium on Sunday 15 February.
“There definitely is banter in the office. I’m surrounded by a lot of the Eagles players, some of them are my very good friends as well,” Rohde said.
“We part ways at the end of the day and they go off to their training and I go off to mine. There’s a fair bit of banter and I think that will continue in the practice game in a couple of weeks and the Derby should be pretty interesting.
“We’ve got Troy Cook and Dale Kickett, so we’ve got all bases covered. I think we’re pretty much split 50-50 in the office, so I think everyone will get behind the game.”
