Ahead of becoming the first GIANT to reach 50 AFLW games, we speak to those who know Alicia Eva best.

Former coach Alan McConnell coached Eva at the GIANTS over five seasons from 2018 until season six, earlier this year. He was coach as she took over as captain ahead of the 2019 season.

Foundation AFLW player Rebecca Beeson has been at the GIANTS since the inaugural season in 2017. She was at the club when Eva arrived ahead of the 2018 season, having played one season at Collingwood.

New GIANTS recruit and former number one draft pick Izzy Huntington is now Eva’s teammate but first met her at the age of 12 and was coached by her in the Victorian youth girls’ pathway.

GIANTS AFL player and former co-captain Phil Davis met Eva when she arrived at the club in 2018. She has worked as a development coach in the AFL program, particularly with the backline, and they host The Footy Phil podcast together.

Eva’s brother Michael is one of her biggest inspirations, with the pair spending countless hours kicking the footy at the park while they were kids. She’s come from a true football family, growing up as a mad Demons supporter, the second youngest of four children.

The Captain

A natural leader, Eva was named just the club’s second-ever AFLW captain ahead of the 2020 season after the sudden retirement of Amanda Farrugia.

Eva took the GIANTS to their first finals series in 2020 but also had to navigate some of the toughest times, leading the club through the death of teammate Jacinda Barclay.

Beeson says Eva the captain is all care.

“As a captain, she’s incredibly caring of her players,” Beeson said.

“She just cares so much about us and wants the best for every individual and is so passionate about the club.

“Every time she writes a message in the group chat, or you catch up with her for coffee, she ends with ‘Go GIANTS’, even in person,” she laughed.

McConnell names care as her number one attribute, and points to her ability to bring the team along with her.

“She cares about the team, sometimes at her own peril,” McConnell said.

“As a leader it’s your job to deliver on game day and when she finds the right balance that’s exactly what she delivers.

“When she’s at her combative best, she leads from the front and there’s been a number of games where she’s pretty much driven the agenda to allow us to win.”

Davis sees Eva as a captain in his own mould - uniting a group who come from all over Australia and building a legacy at a young club.

“‘Leesh’ the captain is an inspiration and role model who sets the standards that we all strive for,” he said.

“She makes those around her better which is all you can ask as a captain.”

Huntington is yet to play a game under Eva but is already grateful for the opportunity to be at the same club as one of the game’s formative leaders.

“She’s a remarkable leader,” she said.

“I think we’re going to look back at the first few years of AFLW and say how lucky were we to have had her at the GIANTS and particularly for me to play in a team that she leads.

“She’s just got this ability to connect with people and make them feel really valued and it’s not even really a football thing, I think she makes you see your value as a player and a person off the field.”

The Coach

While Eva will reach the 50-game milestone on field on Sunday afternoon against Adelaide, her achievements off the field are equally as impressive.

When Eva reached the end of her teenage years, before the advent of the AFLW competition, she had to give up her dream of playing at the elite level.

So, she turned her hand to coaching at the age of just 18 as a way of staying involved in the game.

When she joined the GIANTS as a player ahead of the 2018 season, Eva also joined the club’s coaching staff.

She began coaching at the Academy before moving into the VFL space and now works as the backline coach for the GIANTS’ VFL side as well as as a development coach in the AFL program.

She’s coached in the NAB AFL Academy and was recently awarded a position in the Women's Coaching Acceleration Program.

Michael has watched her coaching journey for more than a decade now.

“She’s a players’ coach,” he said.

“She’s a bit of a multi-dimensional coach, it’s more than just the tactical side of the game and I think she tries to tap into people’s personalities and makes them feel comfortable to bring out their best football by making sure they’re enjoying themselves.”

Huntington was first coached by Eva at the age of 12 - over a decade ago - and has had first-hand experience of the impact she has on her players.

“She’s a remarkable footy brain,” Huntington said.

“She’s got this way of viewing the game that’s incredible. She’s pushed a lot of boundaries and has really broken down a lot of barriers for women in the industry as well.”

Amongst everything else, Eva is also currently completing her Masters of Professional Psychology at Macquarie University and Huntington said her studies clearly complement her coaching.

“She has a great footy brain but the way she interacts with players and allows them to see their worth is really remarkable,” she said.

“I know she’s got a psychology background but she’s a great people person and that’s probably what makes her a great coach as well.

“It’s not just that she knows where to kick the footy but the value she places on players and them as people is massive and I think that’s what brings people along, and I think probably brings a refreshing and unique approach in the men’s pathways as well.”

McConnell - himself a coach in the game for over 30 years - recognised her leadership as one of the first women to coach in the AFL.

“She’s smart, organised, caring, passionate, driven and a boundary breaker.”

Davis has no doubt Eva will make an outstanding AFL coach, when the time is right.

“‘Leesh’ the coach is empowering, she’s heavily invested in you as a person and a player and nothing is too much,” he said.

“Her underlying care makes her an outstanding coach and one that will go a long way if that’s what she chooses to do.”

The Player

Eva the player is sometimes the forgotten part of the trail blazing captain and coach who’s achieved an incredible amount in the game.

But her playing achievements - she’s a club champion winner and an All Australian - shouldn’t be underplayed.

“‘Leesh’ is the type of player that all footballers would love to play with,” Davis said.

“She is skillful, inspirational, desperate, competitive and selfless.”

Selflessness is a common theme.

“She’s selfless, probably to her own detriment,” McConnell said.

“She cares so much about this club and her team, and I think sometimes that gets in the way of maybe her own individual performance but if that’s a fault, it’s probably a pretty good one to have.”

Huntington agrees.

“Very selfless,” she said.

“Obviously very talented but marries her football IQ with her leadership on-field and is just a really hard worker.

“She’s always digging deep and isn’t concerned by individual accolades or stats or any of those things. It’s really about the team and the pride in the jumper.”

Her height - all 163cm to be exact - is another common theme.

“She’s super competitive and she’ll hate this, but even though she’s small, she loves to get physical,” Beeson said.

“She throws her body around to get into the contest and assert herself even though she’s tiny.”

Her brother had a typical brotherly answer.

“She’s soft,” he laughed.

“No, I’d say Alicia is the small footballer’s small footballer. Runs hard, tackles hard.”

The Person
 
Behind the captain, the coach and the player, is the person.

And it’s the care, drive and empathy that she shows in her positions as captain, coach and player that make her the person she is today.

“She’s driven, focused and very caring,” McConnell said.

“She has incredible attention to detail and if she commits to something she gives it 110 per cent.”

Davis agreed with McConnell’s assessment.

“‘Leesh’ the person is an incredible human who is genuine, caring, fun, intelligent and overall, extremely well-rounded.”

Her brother pointed to her ability to always put others before herself.

“What can I say about Alicia? Alicia is probably the most reluctant semi-famous person I know,” he said.

“For someone in the public eye, she’s incredibly self-conscious about what she does but I think that reflects how thoughtful of a person she is.

“She’s very caring for other people and often puts others before herself.”

Beeson revealed the lighter side to Alicia Eva.

“She’s very empathetic, very caring but also has a fun and cheeky side,” Beeson said.

“She loves to dance, have some fun, have a joke and get up to some mischief. She loves a few wines and then deep and meaningful conversations.

“She’s a geek - she gets so passionate about things that she comes off as a dork,” she laughed.

The Final Word

It’s hard to sum up the impact of Alicia Eva in just a few words - we’ve taken almost two thousand here.

“I think she’s a trail blazer,” McConnell said.

“She had huge shoes to fill coming after a local Sydney girl being the inaugural captain and she’s done it with class and in her own way.”

Beeson called her special - and mentioned that word trail blazer again.

“She’s such a special human. She’s added so much value to our club over the time she’s been with us,” Beeson said.

“She’s a great ambassador for women’s football and a trail blazer - playing but also working in the men’s program as a coach and showing girls that’s possible.”

Davis pointed to her formidable reputation prior to arriving at the club.

“People often have reputations and it’s very rare that someone exceeds their own reputation when you get to know them.

“‘Leesh’ is one of the rare few that has and it’s been a privilege to have her join the GIANTS and call her a friend.”

Her friendship is something incredibly valuable to Huntington too.

“She’s one of the most incredible people I know and I’m very lucky to have had her as a mentor from the age of 12,” she said.

“She’s a wonderful person who’s incredibly empathetic and knows how to understand people and value people and have great fun.

“She’s someone I’m really lucky to be really good friends with.”

But the last word - and best memory - should be left for her family, who have helped her to get to where she is today.

“I’ve admired her perseverance in her football journey - she’s gone from a lover of the game as a junior to not being able to play and almost falling out of love with the game,” Michael said.

“Then AFLW rolled around and then she jumped at every opportunity she could get and loves the game again.

“But make sure you include all those times I’d kick the footy with her in the park and she would put me on report, and I’d have to sit down in the park doing nothing while she kicked the ball to herself.”