ABBEY Dowrick is a woman of few words. Reserved, humble, and doesn’t like the spotlight.
A few days prior to Port Adelaide’s best and fairest night, she reached out to a club media staff member with a text message.
It read: “I don’t think I will, but a few of the girls think I might have an alright chance of winning the B&F. So, I was wondering in case their assumptions may turn out to be true, what should I say in my speech so I don’t go up there looking like a fool?”
It took a lot of courage to write, and even more to send. Accepting recognition is challenging for her.
But while it may be challenging, it’s an inevitable outcome of being great at something. Especially when it’s something a lot of people care about.
A few short days later, her text message had paid off. She was thanking her family on stage at The Intercontinental Hotel, with a medal draped around her neck.
“To my mum and dad, the biggest thank you for always believing in me and making the sacrifices for me to follow my dreams,” she recited in her speech.
Abbey’s family is a big driver behind keeping her grounded and she credits them for getting her to where she is today.
Her parents, Anne and John, along with her siblings, Brandon and McKenzie, mean the world to her. So too, does she to them.
And while her family have always been proud of Abbey’s achievements, it hasn’t been an easy road.
She was overlooked in her draft year by both Perth-based AFL clubs, but the knockbacks taught her invaluable lessons, pushing her to be better.
“I think it was hard for me because I knew (not being drafted) was my own doing,” she said.
“When I was 15 or 16, people were saying I was the number one draft pick for the Eagles at one point, and I remember seeing an article written (about it) and the AFL talked a lot about draft picks, and I was always in those lists.
“When I was in about year 10 and 11, I just hung out with the wrong kids. I was too busy trying to fit in at school and lost sight of what I was dreaming to do. It’s pretty heartbreaking because looking back even now, little me would have been so disappointed in that stage of my life.
“That kind of clicked in my brain after a chat with my dad and those people around me.”
Living in Kambalda, 40 minutes’ drive from Kalgoorlie in the West Australian goldfields, the Dowrick family has always been tightly bonded.
It wasn’t just the five of them though – it was cousins, grandparents, aunties, uncles. They were all close, literally and figuratively.
“I was always close with Brandon and McKenzie, mum and dad as well, we were always a really tight-knit family,” Abbey said.
“Same with our cousins, our aunty and uncle lived just around the corner and because it was such a small town, you could walk to the other side of town and just see people.
“I grew up really close with my cousins, they were our best mates. Dinners at Nan's every Sunday, stuff like that. Mum's side was all in Kambalda.”
When she was 13, Abbey, along with her siblings and parents moved to Perth, to give Abbey and McKenzie more opportunities in football. Both girls showed extraordinary promise at a young age.
But it wasn’t just the Dowricks that made the move to the West Australian capital – it was the rest of the Kambalda-based family too.
“All of our family bought and built in the same suburb in Perth, cousins and everything,” she said.
“We built the granny flat on the side of our house for Nan, so she lives with us. We’re still pretty fortunate that we can just walk down the road to see family.”
After the move, dad John kept his job as a jumbo operator in the mines, but switched to a fly in-fly out format, while mum Anne works between the library and the office in a local primary school.
And between Abbey and McKenzie, the pair soon found their feet with Subiaco (formerly Coastal Titans) in the WAFLW system, where both girls flourished.
“I had just turned 16 when I made my league debut,” Abbey said.
“I remember the club president at the time, Sarah Mitchell. I remember I walked into the changerooms and she presented me with my jumper before the game. She said she's never seen me so nervous, because I hadn't said a word.
“It was pretty good though, I kicked two goals on debut and played pretty well against East Freo, (now-teammate Julia) Teakle's old team. I remember that day really well.”
After playing some solid football over the next two years, Abbey was well and truly on the radar of recruiters, but as a teenager at the time, it felt a bit too much for her to take in.
Her professionalism and commitment to WAFLW training slipped, and AFL clubs were becoming unsure about her future.
“Once I knew (West Coast) Eagles weren't that interested anymore, I spoke to the Freo head coach at the time, Trent Cooper, and he just knew I wasn't showing up to WAFL trainings on time and I was finding any excuse to not go,” she said.
“He basically said if I couldn’t commit at that level, there was no way I going to survive at AFLW level. I think that kind of kicked me in the ass to get going.”
At the age of 19, Abbey moved to South Australia, spending a season with Woodville-West Torrens in the highly regarded SANFLW competition. She followed in the footsteps of her sister, who had been picked up by Adelaide after a stint in the same league.
It wasn’t long before Abbey caught the eye of list manager Naomi Maidment, who was building Port Adelaide’s inaugural playing group.
Maidment detected something special in the teenager and gave her an opportunity at Alberton.
Abbey went on to have a solid debut season and was eventually named the league’s runner-up Rising Star.
Her best mate Matt even joined her in Adelaide a few months after Abbey relocated, supporting his childhood friend in her pursuit of playing football at the top level.
Despite her success in that first year, she reflects harshly on herself, feeling her on-field inconsistency in 2022 let her down.
“Last year I was very, very excited when I first came over to Port, and then we got into the season, I had a really good debut and then I kind of just went a bit up and down,” Abbey said.
Considering the harrowing incident she was involved in during her second game of AFLW football, it was no surprise she was struggling to get the best out of herself.
In the club’s first home clash at Alberton, Abbey smothered a kick, but fell onto young Bulldog Britney Gutknecht’s leg. Every person within earshot heard a gut-wrenching crack.
A near 40-minute halt in play followed, with medical staff unable to move Gutknecht for some time. It turned out she had broken her tibia and fibula.
At the time, Abbey recalls being overtly distressed by what had happened. She was used to putting her body on the line for her sport, but never expected to seriously hurt someone as a result.
“The realisation of what I'd done and knowing that it was such a serious injury, I was heartbroken”, she said.
“Knowing that I was the cause of taking away the rest of the season for someone was pretty hard for me and obviously for her. It affected me coming out for games after that. Not wanting to commit to smothers like I normally would, or even tackles. I was worried I was going to do it to someone else.
“(People) told me that it was out of my control and it wasn't something I did intentionally. I would never do that. (But) it was a pretty sickening feeling. I was worried I had ended her career.”
More than 12 months later, Gutknecht returned for her first game of AFLW football since the incident. Relief washed over Abbey when she heard the news.
“It made me so happy to see her videos (of her rehab and recovery),” Abbey said.
“She's come back and played, that was pretty heartwarming to see. I saw how long of a journey that was for her. I'm glad to see how well she's done.”
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A year on, Abbey has made strides in her football, and in her mindset.
After a personal misstep early in pre-season, she wanted to let her football do the talking in 2023, and was committed to doing all the right things, on and off the track.
“I never want to let down people that I care about,” she said.
“I just wanted to prove myself with my footy. I just wanted to show them that I'm taking it on and learning from it.”
Since then, the 21-year-old’s individual accolades have shown she has done exactly that.
Not only was she crowned Port Adelaide’s best and fairest AFLW player, she was also selected in the AFLW All-Australian squad and the AFL Players’ Association 22Under22 squad of 44.
Enjoyment returned for her on the field this season, and it showed in her performance. Week in, week out, she was one of the most consistent ball-users in her side.
“I have enjoyed this year so much, especially with the new girls that have come in,” she said.
“I feel like the dynamic this year is great. We are doing better on-field but it’s not showing on the scoreboard as much as we’d like.
“Last year was so rushed but this year there's been more of a plan, and you can see that with how we train and how we do things away from footy. I’m definitely enjoying my footy and I hope every year I get fitter and stronger and enjoy it even more.”
Working closely with club mindset coach David Steventon has helped Abbey greatly with her approach, in life and in football.
“I wasn't in the best mindset last year, especially after what happened in Round 2,” she said.
“I'd like to say I have matured a bit. I don’t want to take advantage of what I've been given. I do speak to Dave about those kinds of things, especially after the incident against Western Bulldogs, which made me stop doing parts of my game.
“I think it’s also about having fun, I know it is my job at the end of the day but if I'm not having fun, what's the point in doing it? Instead of putting all this pressure on myself that I have to perform, taking it week by week and enjoying getting out there with the girls has been good for me.”
Retiring captain Erin Phillips has also played a key role in Abbey’s growth over the last 12 months. She has been a mentor and role model to the young midfielder, in every sense of the word.
“With Erin, it’s even just little things,” Abbey said.
“She's someone that when she speaks, you listen. She's very open that if you don’t agree, you can tell her. She was just someone that I wanted to mentor me because she's just had such an incredible past with her sporting career.
“She is just someone that I look up to and play similarly to, and she's so easy-going but also so hard working at the same time. I just want to replicate that in my footy and in my life. I've really appreciated how she's taken me under her wing, but she does that with everyone as well.”
At this Monday’s W Awards, Abbey will find out whether she has been selected in the final All-Australian team, alongside teammate and fellow nominee, Gemma Houghton.
For Houghton, it could be her third time receiving the honour, but for Abbey, it’s a whole new level of national recognition.
But, whatever happens, she knows her family will be proud. And maybe…just maybe, she can start to enjoy the spotlight.
