West Coast Eagles star Kellie Gibson relishing midfield reinvention ahead of sixth AFLW season

One of Adelaide’s two marquee signings ahead of the inaugural AFLW season, Eagle Kellie Gibson is somewhat of a league veteran. But one of West Coast’s most experienced players feels like a junior ahead of her first season as a permanent midfielder. Once an exciting forward, Gibson has struggled to make an impact in the front half since crossing from Fremantle, going goalless in two seasons after 12 goals in her first 16 games. But the 25-year-old has been given a new lease on life and is set to start the season as a fully-fledged midfielder after a successful experiment in the back half of season 2021. “The likes of Emma Swanson and Dana Hooker, those girls are senior players in the midfield and I feel like even though I’m a senior player at the club, I’m a junior in the midfield,” Gibson said. “I’m learning heaps and I’m really looking forward to how we can all gel in the midfield and produce some good footy. “Hopefully I can run around a bit more in the midfield and get some more touches and kick it down forward and then maybe have the odd spell up there.” New senior coach Michael Prior is backing Gibson to reach her lofty potential as a midfielder. “I can only go on what I’ve seen this year, the way she’s trained and the way she’s come back, her willingness to improve and get better,” he said. “By all reports, she’s having the best pre-season she’s had in her career, so hopefully that translates into a performance on the ground after Christmas for us. “She’s played as an inside midfielder for us at training so far and Kellie’s really good and strong over the ball and really hunts the footy. And uses it well by foot when she gets it.” But as the expectation and excitement surrounding Gibson’s imminent shift increases, the 2017 premiership player wants to be measured on her performance. “This year I’m taking a step back and concentrating on footy, letting my actions doing the talking rather than trying to point fingers and communicate in a more verbal way,” she said. “I want to have an impact through my actions on the field.” Aiding Gibson’s transformation is another injury-free pre-season. In 2018, Gibson sustained a hip flexor injury in a pre-season match and only returned to debut for the Dockers in the final round of the season. “My body is feeling pretty good. It’s hopefully my second pre-season without any injuries so I feel like I’m building a pretty good base,” she said. “Match sim and minutes are ramping up. It’s starting to get a lot more heated at training. We’re preparing a good season ahead. “Fitness levels are increasing but that happens when you have two pre-seasons under your belt. The team starts to gel a bit better and we understand each other as a team. We’re starting to mature a bit more on-field which is great.”