CARLTON made an audacious bid to land Australian sporting superstar Ellyse Perry – who has a "flawless" kicking technique – as a cross-sport rookie.
Perry is one of Australia's greatest cricketers, this week becoming the first Aussie to record 5000 runs and 300 wickets at international level, and has also represented the country in soccer.
Carlton runner and commentator Andy Maher made the startling revelation on Channel Seven's coverage of the Australia-India Test on Sunday.
"A couple of years ago when Ellyse Perry made the move to Victoria, [coach Daniel Harford] and I sat down with Ellyse Perry at the Junction Oval over a cup of coffee," Maher said.
"We were very, very keen to get her involved in our program, with multi-faceted responsibilities. My view was to get her down to help with training standards, bring Perry's outstanding training standards to our group, to see what it's like to be an elite performer.
"My view was – and I've seen her kick a footy with the [cricketers] in warm-ups – once she was down there, in amongst all the things we'd put in front of her, the bug would bite her and she'd want to play.
"That's what I said to 'Harf', 'We'll get her playing this game, you watch'."
Carlton's pitch to Perry was in part based around her desire to work in elite sports administration when she eventually retires.
"But one of the ideas coach Daniel Harford had was if we get her down to the club, we can show her how a professional club in the AFLW operates," Maher said.
"We can show her to the many departments that operate inside a footy club and give her a sense as to where she might want to go if she gets into that area when her playing days are done.
"We haven't given up, the invitation still exists, and hopefully one of these days she takes it up.
"I was telling Harf there are a couple in the Australian set up and round the WBBL who are very natural footballers. Perry was kicking with a couple of her Australia teammates, Georgia Wareham and one or two others in particular, and her technique is flawless."
A number of cricketers have made the switch to AFLW, including AFLW best and fairest Emma Kearney, Bulldog Kirsty Lamb, Blue Nat Plane and Sun Britt Perry, while Jess Duffin still plays both sports.
