IT'S A LONG way from Gol Gol to the NAB AFLW competition, but it’s the path taken by new Adelaide rookie Jasmine Simmons.
The basketballer had just returned to local footy following her stint in the US college system with the Oregon Beavers when a handy local connection alerted the Crows to the prospect.
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"One of our guys in recruiting, a guy called Ty Corey, said to us, 'you should have a look at this Jas Simmons. She was a gun player up in Broken Hill before she went into basketball full time'," Adelaide head of women's footy Phil Harper told Credit to the Girls podcast.
"We had a look to see how she did at Gol Gol, and she did pretty well, so she came down to Adelaide and had a kick with us. We liked what we saw. She's an athlete, a competitor and we think we could be onto something there.
>> Watch the 2021 NAB AFLW Draft LIVE via womens.afl and the AFLW Official App on Tuesday, July 27 from 6.45pm AEST
"Our history with turning basketballers returning to football is pretty good. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying she's going to be Erin Phillips, but we think she'll be pretty good for us."
Harper also discussed Erin Phillips' decision to commit for another season, losing Chloe Scheer to Geelong and whether Port Adelaide's expansion bid factors into their drafting plans.
Credit to the Girls is in the midst of an off-season mini-series, with each of the 14 clubs put under the microscope around trade and the draft.
EPISODE GUIDE
0.40 – Reflections on Adelaide's season
1.35 – Re-recruiting Jasmyn Hewett
2.47 – New rookie Jasmine Simmons
4.47 – Losing Chloe Scheer
6.08 – Erin Phillips going on again
9.47 – Looking ahead to possible expansion
12.00 – Adelaide's draft plans
