Fresh off a fifth consecutive VFLW victory, Essendon co-captain Courtney Ugle already had her reasons to be excited ahead of her side’s crunch clash with Geelong this Saturday.  

But with the club again preparing to celebrate the contributions of its Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander people ahead of the AFL’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round, Ugle told Essendon FC this week always feels more special than most. 

Ugle, who made history this season alongside Mia-Rae Clifford when named as the club’s first ever Indigenous co-captains, believes it’s a combination of pride in herself, her heritage, and the club that stands out.

“I’ve been really lucky to be involved in Sir Doug Nicholls Round since the inception of women’s football at Essendon [in 2018],” Ugle said. 

“I’m obviously really proud to be an Aboriginal person, and the magnitude behind having the two first ever Indigenous co-captains speaks volumes to what I’m trying to do as a leader.” 

Ugle, who has already proven herself as a leader on a plethora of fronts both on and off the field since joining the Bombers, hopes her platform as skipper can provide inspiration for people in the broader Indigenous community. 

“[I want to] show a lot of young Aboriginal girls and boys that representation is important, but we can do and be these things,” Ugle said. 

“The club has been unreal in acknowledging and showcasing our Aboriginal people, and I’ve felt nothing but love.” 

This weekend, Ugle will be focused on adding to the rich vein of form that has seen the Dons catapult into the top four at the halfway mark of the season, but for now is more than happy to soak in the celebrations of the week. 

“I’m really excited to see what happens throughout the week, getting around the whole club in the events leading up,” Ugle said.  

“It’s my favourite week.” 

Image: Gallivant Photo.