Adelaide AFLW Captain Chelsea Randall will notch her 50th game on Friday. Teammate and fellow leadership group member Ebony Marinoff has played alongside Randall since the team’s inception in 2017 and has penned some heartfelt words ahead of the milestone. Marinoff has also reflected on the five key moments that define who Randall is as a player and a person.
I feel so lucky to have played alongside Chelsea.
She puts her body on the line week in and week out. Randy does things no other player can do or would try to do.
Off the field, she is compassionate, caring and would do anything for anyone.
Hatchy, Stevie-Lee, Sarah and I have had front row seats to the Chelsea Randall show for the last seven years and nothing she does seems to surprise us. Randy wears her heart on her sleeve and always stands up in big games.
She is truly the kind of person and player every club dreams of landing. So far, it’s been 49 games of pure heart and grit. To celebrate my great mate, Chelsea Randall, here are five of my favourite moments that really define who she is.
Randall becoming a Crow
This was the moment we landed one of the best players to Adelaide. The buzz and excitement of landing someone of Chelsea’s calibre was incredible. She was a two-time West Australian Women’s Football League Best and Fairest, so we knew we had landed an absolute star. For Chels to agree to being one of our marquee signings rather than stay in WA and play for Fremantle, who was also granted entry into the competition in 2017, was so significant and really helped us become a destination Club.
Winning the Players’ Association’s Most Courageous
In 2017, Chels was voted the AFLW Players’ Association’s Most Courageous Player for the first time. It’s a peer-voted award, so for our Captain to have players from opposition teams, really says something about how she goes about her footy. She has since won the award in 2018, 2019, 2021 and in Season Seven. What an incredible achievement and I couldn’t be prouder.
ACL Comeback
In the lead up to the 2020 season, Chels ruptured her ACL during pre-season training. It was a devastating moment for her and for the Club as a whole - to see our fearless leader go down with a horrible injury was hard to stomach. But the way Chels supported us from the sideline, as well as attacking her rehab with so much positivity, really helped us walk taller.
Season Six Grand Final performance
Chels led from the front during our third AFLW flag win, but there is one moment that sticks out for me. In the third quarter, Melbourne had booted the ball forward and it would’ve made it into the Demons’ attacking 50 but enter Chels. She made the courageous decision, as she always does, to go back with the flight of the footy, streaming across MJ and a Melbourne opponent, marking the ball. It’s one of my favourite memories from the day and truly sums up what kind of player Chels is.
Showdown I Medal win
What can I say about Chelsea’s performance in the first Showdown? She really showed why she’s the heart and soul of our team. Booting two crucial goals, taking strong marks, doing the little things like shepherding her teammates, tackling hard - just to name a few things. She played the Crows way. Hard, tough, uncompromising footy and so deserving of the inaugural Showdown Medal. I was in awe of how she played but also not surprised. That’s just Chelsea. And we couldn’t be prouder of our Captain courageous.
I am a better person and player for having Chelsea Randall in my life. Happy 50th game, my friend!
Go Crows!
