Hawthornfc.com.au caught up with VFLW Hawk Ebony Nixon to see how pre-season is progressing and to ask all the hard questions.
Catch up: Q+A with Julia Crockett-Grills
LIFE AT THE HAWKS
How are you finding preseason?
Yeh, it’s really good. It’s hard, we’ve been training for eight weeks now but I’m really enjoying it and I think a lot of the girls are enjoying it. We’re just all getting to the stage now where we’re playing really well together.
Which position do you think you’ll spend most time in this season?
Probably half-back. I played the majority of last season at half-back so I think (Hawthorn VFLW coach Paddy Hill) is wanting to play me there again.
How would you describe yourself as a player?
I think I’m really good defensively, my tackling is probably one of my strong points and my kicking as well. I just like to weigh up my options and pick the best one.
What areas of your game would you like to improve?
I’d just like to learn to take the game on a bit more and run off half-back a bit more than I do at the moment.
Specific goals for the season?
Not really, probably just to play the best I can. I had a pretty consistent year last year so probably just follow on from that and have one of my best seasons hopefully.
How excited are you to be part of the Hawthorn’s first ever women’s side in the VFLW this year?
I think it’s really exciting. I think everybody is super excited about it. I’m just so excited to get even more opportunity than we already have. So I think it is really exciting to see the opportunities that are available to us.
Do you have a nickname amongst the group?
Paddy sort of started this one. They call me ‘Slipper’ because I have size 11 feet. So, that has sort of spread a bit!
What are you looking forward to most this season?
At the moment it is probably just Round 1. I think we’re all just itching to get out there and just see all our hard work come together. So, at the moment we’re just looking to Round 1 and then we’ll just take it week-by-week from there.
LIFE OUTSIDE OF THE CLUB
Do you have a favourite player?
I really like Rory Laird from Adelaide. He is probably one of my favourites. He runs off and he is a good decision maker. I think he is a bit underrated and I sort of like that about him too.
How did you first get into playing football?
I started in 2013 after my high school PE teacher recommended that I go down and try out for after school footy. So, I went down to Whitehorse and that was it!
What’s your favourite football memory?
We (Whitehorse) made the Grand Final in 2014. We lost but I think it is still my favourite memory. We had a really good season and we were underrated but we ended up making the Grand Final, which was pretty exciting.
How do you spend most of your time outside of football?
I probably spend most of my time outside of football reading. I like to read a lot. And just go to the gym with the girls.
