Mount Gambier teenage sensation Brooke Tonon lived her dream on Saturday when she made her AFLW debut for the Adelaide Crows on an unforgettable afternoon at Sydney’s Henson Park.
Everything Tonon would have imagined during her days running around McDonald Park became a reality as the Crows defended their ladder lead with a convincing 40-point win over the Greater Western Sydney Giants.
The 18-year-old would have been on cloud nine when she ran out with her storied teammates before the game and stood in the forward 50 alongside none other than Crows legend Erin Phillips.
Tonon finished the game with five disposals and if she still thought it was all a dream when the final siren marked Adelaide’s crushing win, she would have been woken up by a heavy Powerade shower from her teammates led by record-breaking player and Glenelg mentor Ebony Marinoff.
After the whirlwind afternoon, the memories and taste of Powerade will remain with Tonon for a lifetime.
“I was really nervous (when the first siren went) but super excited,” she said.
“It’s been a dream of mine for so long, so to finally step foot onto the oval playing footy at the highest level was unreal.
“When the siren sounded the nerves went and I was just ready to have a hot crack.
“The rest of the team had my back and we all have confidence in one another which made it all less scary.”
Tonon only had to wait two minutes to get her first taste of what life was like at the highest level when she was out-muscled by her opponent Haneen Zreika.
She bounced back from the small setback by getting her hands on the ball moments later, lacing out her teammate with a smart kick to space which set up Adelaide’s first genuine scoring opportunity.
Tonon also won a free kick and a 50-metre penalty after going up for a marking contest and she did not waste the opportunity hitting out Caitlin Gould in front of goal.
The passage of play showed “Chook” had the skills and tenacity to compete at the top level and she finished the contest with four composed kicks and two marks.
The big day was the culmination of a long journey which started at McDonald Park before impressing at every level to be drafted at pick 20 from the Crows in last year’s draft.
Despite the meteoric rise “Chook” was forced to bide her time on the sidelines as the most successful club in AFLW history set about finding more success.
But a six-goal bag in her return to Glenelg in the opening round of the SANFLW made her an undeniable prospect for the coaches and Tonon said it took some time for the call up to sink in.
“Our coach said he was going to announce the team after training on Wednesday while we were all having dinner as a group and I didn’t really think to much of it,” she said.
“There was not really a big build up which made it all the more surprising when he said the change would be I was making my debut.
“It was the best feeling and all the girls got around me which was awesome.”
Tonon said the girls continued to get around her throughout the day and the support she received from her teammates and family completed the occasion.
“Chelsea Randall did the handover of my guernsey to my family for them to present to me which was really special,” she said.
“Chels has been a part of my footy journey since I was 15 and an idol for me since the competitions inception.
“She spoke really kind words and for my mum and dad to handover my guernsey was really special considering how much they have had to sacrifice for me to pursue footy in Adelaide.”
Tonon is the second Limestone Coast youngster after Millicent’s Geelong Cat Olivia Fuller to ddebut this year and the pair hope to keep turning heads when they take on Fremantle and Richmond respectively this Saturday.
