As tough as they come.
It’s easy to see why Bomber fans warmed to Daria Bannister from her arrival at the club in 2022, with her take-no-prisoners, blue-collar play style a perfect fit for the common Windy Hill footy goer.
The 25-year-old is on the verge of her 50th career AFLW game this weekend, having overcome a meniscus tear, a broken collarbone and two separate ACL tears along the seven-year journey to the milestone – a deserving reward for effort.
Taken by the Western Bulldogs with pick No.19 in the 2017 national draft, Bannister endured a challenging opening three seasons to her AFLW career but never lost sight of her own capabilities.
After tearing her ACL on debut with the Dogs in 2018, a move to expansion club North Melbourne held just another three games in the two years that followed including a COVID-shortened 2020 season, adding more hurdles in the early years of her career.
Rebounding from her setbacks, Bannister featured in 21 games over the next two years to establish herself as a mainstay in a Kangaroos side that registered back-to-back finals appearances, booting 13 goals over that period.
Ahead of Season Seven, Bannister moved to the Bombers to become a part of our inaugural side in the competition, lining up for the side’s first ever win over Hawthorn in front of over 12,000 fans at Marvel Stadium.
Slotting eight goals from nine games in her first season as a Don, Bannister was relishing a clean run, adding a hard edge to the club’s young list with her forward pressure and classy finishing the clear standouts.
Continuing to produce strongly in 2023 as the Dons closed in on securing a maiden finals berth, Bannister’s year was cut short by another ACL tear late in their round seven win over the Tigers, a big loss to the squad in the back end of the campaign.
Fronting another challenging pre-season, Bannister had herself ready to go for the Bombers’ round one clash in 2024 and has arguably found career-best form in an inspired return.
A career-best haul of four goals and 15 disposals in the Dons’ 65-point thrashing of Melbourne in round six has headlined a strong year for the forward, who continues to provide a tenacious threat for opposition defences.
It’s taken plenty of resilience for Bannister to reach the 50-game mark, a well-deserved milestone for one of the most popular teammates inside the four walls at the NEC Hangar.
The Dons take on the Tigers in an exciting spectacle for Dreamtime in Darwin this Saturday night.
