Fremantle launched their AFLW season on Monday night at club headquarters and captain Kara Antonio gave an impassioned speech to her teammates.
 
Read what Antonio had to say below.
 
To this amazing playing group. I cannot express how incredibly proud I am to lead you for a fifth season. I want to thank you all for putting the trust and belief in me. I have never, and will never, take that for granted and I promise to do everything in my power to protect you, support you and guide you. I promise not to let you down.
 
Last year I stood in front of 25 of you and tonight we add six new faces to our family, and each one has brought something special to the group. We’ve created an environment as a playing group where you’d take a bullet for each other. When you pull on the jumper you trust that person standing next to you with your life. I can’t wait for the six new faces to experience that.

When your opportunity comes, it’s unlike anything you’ll ever experience. We go beyond a football team, we’re a family and our connection is building stronger and stronger.
 
Success doesn’t build culture, great people build culture and that’s what we have here at this football club. There isn’t a much bigger purpose for what and why we do what we do. This game goes well beyond the training and the games, it’s the impact we are having on the next generation of young girls and boys. They now look up to us as strong women, as role models and we’re changing the landscape of our game. Own it and be proud.
 
Finally, the reality is that we’re not going to be here and we’re not going to be around forever. You only get one opportunity, or in Tiah’s case, you get two!
 
But take this opportunity with both hands, because you never know when that opportunity will be gone. You’ve done all the hard work, you’re all here because you deserve to be here, so let's take this year by the scruff of the neck and stamp our mark on this game once and for all! We want to make sure everyone knows who the Fremantle Dockers are and that we have unfinished business.

Become an AFLW member today and get free entry* to all Freo AFLW Home Games.