Lead photo thanks to Dan Ullman (Instagram – @aptitudephotography).
With the prospect of a spot on the plane to the Olympics with the Matildas on the horizon, Ellie Brush has gone all-in on the round ball game, re-signing for Sydney FC ahead of the 2020/21 W-League season.
The 32-year-old has left her AFLW career behind in this pursuit, having spent the past four years balancing her W-League commitments with the Giants.
“With the Olympics being postponed to next year it seemed like a good chance to go around again (in the W-League) to try and make the squad,” she explained.
“I’d really regret it if I didn’t give it another go to play for the Matildas.”
Brush was ever-present for the Sky Blues in the most recent W-League season, playing every minute as the team finished third on the table before losing the grand final to Melbourne City.
The central defender his hoping her form in the W-League will catch the eye of the incoming Matildas coach.
“I just try to be consistent wherever I play, and I feel at the moment I’m playing my best football.
“I’m physically at my best too, the cross-training in AFL has really helped my conditioning.
“Having played two seasons with the Dash (in the NSWL), I think I’ve also shown I can play at the highest level.”
Until the W-League kicks off later this year though, Brush lining up for our Women’s First Grade side in the NPL NSW Women’s competition.
Brush is in her third season at Northern Tigers, playing a pivotal role in the heart of defence as Women’s First Grade qualified for their first NPL1 grand final last year.
Brush celebrates a goal with her teammates in last year’s preliminary final. Photo thanks to Jeremy NG/Football NSW.
“I love the club and we’ve got a tight-knit bunch of players built around the same values – we never stop fighting and we play for one another,” she said.
“I think there’s quite a few players in the team who could make the step up to the W-League as well now a lot of last season’s players have moved to Europe.”
With her extensive playing experience, Brush has provided a guiding presence to the younger members of the squad.
“I love trying to help the younger girls as much as I can, there’s a lot of players in reserves knocking on the door of the first team.
“It’s fantastic having them around in training, they’ve got a lot of talent and great futures ahead of them.”
Women’s First Grade take on Sydney Olympic at Peter Moore Field on Sunday, looking to break a three-match scoreless run.
“We’re certainly tracking in the right direction, we’ve got a good team base,” Brush explained.
“The goals will come, I think once we get one the floodgates will open.”
You can stream this Sunday’s Women’s First Grade fixture (3pm kick-off) live on NPL.tv once you register for a free account.