With five minutes to go in Saturday’s VFLW elimination final against Casey Demons, Essendon found itself staring down the barrel of an early finals exit.
After a 23-point lead at half-time, the Bombers conceded three straight goals in the third quarter with an early fourth-quarter major giving Casey a three-point lead.
Enter Lauren Ahrens.
If there was any defender you wanted kicking for a potential match-winning goal in an elimination final, it would be the reigning Gold Coast Suns club champion and AFLW 2021 All-Australian squad member.
Ahrens looked calm and confident from the outside as she composed herself after being awarded a 50-metre penalty and direct shot at goal, but she admits her heart was racing.
“I was extremely nervous. I tried to act pretty cool about it but I was pretty scared walking up there. I didn’t want to disappoint the team,” Ahrens said.
“I sort of got pretty close to the mark and just kicked it through off a couple of steps and it was probably one of the best feelings ever. It’s pretty unreal.”
The Bombers had to fight hard in the dying minutes to keep their narrow lead, but Ahrens’ goal was enough to seal their maiden finals victory with celebrations erupting on the final siren.
“It was absolutely unreal. I think we all were riding on high and still are a little bit. Just to be a part of such a great group at the moment, it’s such a great feeling. Everyone’s pretty stoked about it,” Ahrens said.
“It was pretty ecstatic. I haven’t really been in many big wins like that before so it was just fantastic and reward for the girls’ effort over the last few years as well.”
The 29-year-old first joined Essendon for the 2019 VFLW season but returned to the Bombers this year in round 10 after playing 16 games across two AFLW seasons for the Suns.
Ahrens is relishing the chance to be involved in the club’s first finals series but will be using this VFLW season to improve her skills ahead of her third year in the AFLW.
“I’m loving my footy so much. A little bit of a change up down here and it’s just really enjoyable footy at the moment. I’m really motivated to get out there and keep doing my best for the club,” she said.
“I just want to play footy with my mates and touch the footy as much as I can outside of the AFLW season. I just really want to enjoy myself and let my hair down and just enjoy playing footy.”
With the focus on fun for Ahrens, she quickly felt right at home at the NEC Hangar, with Essendon’s VFLW program having the right balance of serious and light-hearted moments.
Like Ahrens, the Bombers know when they’re enjoying their footy they play their best, but their excitement to be out on the field has become evident to the wider club.
“Everyone is just getting around each other so much and they honestly just love footy. Xavier (CEO Xavier Campbell) said it to us the other day about how the club recognises how we all just love footy so much and I love that as well,” Ahrens said.
“Everyone is just frothing so much to play footy and getting around each other to get it done, so it’s been really enjoyable to be a part of.”
Throughout her two seasons with the Bombers, Ahrens has witnessed the growth in Essendon’s VFLW side but is most excited about the improvements of her fellow teammates.
“I think the program as a whole is continuing to develop but we’ve kept a pretty similar list,” she said.
“It’s the players' development from 18-year-olds who have stuck around and didn’t get picked up who are now 20, and to actually see how much they’ve improved is exciting.
“All these players who have played a lot of senior women’s footy now are improving week in and week out, so whether it’s skills or game sense, all those things are just improving.”
One player who has stood out to the AFLW defender is 19-year-old Alana Barba.
The pair first played together in 2019 when Barba was a top-age Calder Cannons player and stepped up to play four VFLW games for the Bombers.
Barba has become a central element to the Bombers’ line-up, with her development impressing Ahrens.
“Alana Barba has been absolutely killing it. When she came in in my first season, she was still quite young and new to senior footy,” Ahrens said.
“But she’s just grown so much and is impressing me so much. I’m super proud of her and she is killing it.”
Alongside Barba, her fellow midfielders have also impressed Ahrens with the group becoming a dominant force for oppositions to overcome.
“But even all our midfield. I was looking up at them at one point and I was like, ‘These guys are elite’,” Ahrens said.
“I wouldn’t want to come up against them with Georgie (Prespakis), ‘G’ (Georgia Nanscawen), ‘Ugez’ (Courtney Ugle). They are all playing so well, so hats off to them.”
Ahrens and her teammates will come up against the benchmark team of the VFLW in Collingwood on Saturday.
With a Grand Final spot on the line, Ahrens insists the Bombers will prepare as usual ahead of the semi-final.
“It’s just another week so we will focus on getting through each session and making sure we are ticking all the boxes that we need to do,” she said.
“It’s just another game and we’ll prepare like we do normally. We won’t be getting ahead of ourselves and just getting everything done.”
The Bombers will take on the undefeated Magpies from 12pm at Victoria Park on Saturday, with the winner advancing straight to the VFLW Grand Final on July 25.
