Georgie Prespakis

Georgie Prespakis
Prespakis playing for Geelong in 2022
Personal information
Full name Georgie Prespakis
Date of birth (2003-03-13) 13 March 2003 (age 21)
Original team(s) Essendon (VFLW)
Draft No. 2, 2021 national draft
Debut Round 1, 2022 (S6), Geelong vs. North Melbourne, at Arden Street Oval
Height 168 cm (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current club Geelong
Number 41
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2022 (S6)– Geelong 32 (6)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2023 season.
Career highlights
Source: AustralianFootball.com

Georgie Prespakis (born 13 March 2003) is an Australian rules footballer playing for Geelong Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). Prespakis was selected in the 2022 AFL Women's season 7 All-Australian team and won the Geelong best and fairest award in 2023.

Early life

Prespakis is the daughter of Damien and Jody.[1] Her mother is an Indigenous Australian from the Djadjawurrung tribe.[2] Prespakis has three siblings: twins Annalea and Madison, and Jimmy.[1] Older sister Madison currently plays for Essendon.

She played junior football with the boys in Romsey, crossing to Sunbury to play in the under-18 girls' competition.[3] Picked up by the Calder Cannons development program, she took out the competition's best and fairest in 2019. Prespakis won her second best and fairest award in 2021, scoring seven best-on-ground votes in just nine appearances for the Cannons.[4]

Prespakis finished the 2021 season playing with Essendon in the VFL Women's competition, playing five matches (including three finals), her last game coming against Geelong Cats at Windy Hill.

AFL Women's career

Geelong recruited Prespakis with their first selection and second overall in the 2021 AFL Women's draft. She made her AFL Women's debut in the opening round of 2022 season 6 against North Melbourne at Arden Street Oval, a game in which she was nominated for the 2022 AFL Women's season 6 Rising Star award. In March, Prespakis was included in the 40-player squad for the AFL Players Association 22under22 team,[5] and was named on the wing in the final 22under22 team.[6]

In round 1 of 2022 AFL Women's season 7, Prespakis kicked Geelong's only two goals, including one in the last minute to score a 15–11 victory over Richmond at GMHBA Stadium.[7]

At the AFL Women's awards following the conclusion of 2022 AFL Women's season 7, Prespakis was again named to the wing in the AFL Players Association 22 Under 22 team, as well as receiving her first AFL Women's All-Australian team selection.[8][9] Prespakis was also a top-10 finisher in the 2022 AFL Women's season 7 best and fairest,[10][11] but she would have been ineligible to win the award after being suspended by the AFL Tribunal during the home-and-away season.[12]

At the Geelong best and fairest awards for 2022 season 7, Prespakis finished runner-up behind three-time winner Amy McDonald,[13] only four points behind in her second season. She was voted the Cats Fans MVP and won a new award named the Grit award, where "Cats players voted each week on who they believed showed the most 'grit' during games, throughout acts such as tackles, smothers, intercepts, gut running and pressure acts."[13][14]

In the first game of the 2023 season, Prespakis kicked a goal that was wrongly adjudged by the goal umpire as a behind. [1]

Statistics

Statistics are correct to the end of the 2023 AFL Women's season.[15]
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2022 (S6) Geelong 41 10 0 2 70 63 133 6 68 0.0 0.2 7.0 6.3 13.3 0.6 6.8 1
2022 (S7) Geelong 41 9 2 2 105 91 196 17 65 0.2 0.2 11.7 10.1 21.8 1.9 7.2 15
2023 Geelong 41 13 4 7 183 132 315 17 93 0.3 0.5 14.1 10.2 24.2 1.3 7.2 14
Career 32 6 11 358 286 644 40 226 0.2 0.3 11.2 8.9 20.1 1.3 7.1 30

References

  1. ^ a b Black, Sarah (21 October 2018). "AFLW: From Auskick to likely top-three pick". AFL.com.au. Telstra Media. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  2. ^ McGowan, Marc (23 October 2018). "AFLW: New Blue happy to be close to home". AFL.com.au. Telstra Media. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  3. ^ Black, Sarah (23 July 2021). "Younger Prespakis destined to make her own name in AFLW". womens.afl. Telstra Media. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  4. ^ Rhodes, Brendan (30 September 2021). "Another Prespakis win, Chargers dominate NAB League Girls' Team of the Year". afl.com.au. Telstra Media. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  5. ^ Black, Sarah (15 March 2022). "Leading the pack: Five Lions named in 22under22 squad". womens.afl. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  6. ^ Beaton, Bobby (28 March 2022). "QUEENSLAND SHAPES AFLW 22UNDER22 TEAM". AFL Player's Association. AFL Players Association. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  7. ^ Black, Sarah (28 August 2022). "Clutch last-minute goal sees Cats snatch victory from Tigers". womens.afl. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  8. ^ "2022 Season Seven AFLW All Australian Team". womens.afl. 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  9. ^ Giese, Susie (22 November 2022). "Three Cats Make All-Australian Team". Geelong Football Club. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  10. ^ Smith, Martin (22 November 2022). "Lions Queen: Anderson crowned the league's best after a thrilling count". womens.afl. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  11. ^ O'Halloran, Kate (22 November 2022). "Brisbane Lion Ally Anderson wins AFLW best and fairest, Hannah Ewings named rising star". ABC News. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  12. ^ Black, Sarah; Bastiani, Gemma (22 November 2022). "Guilty: Prespakis, Bannister bans upheld after long hearings". womens.afl. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  13. ^ a b "McDonald claims third consecutive AFLW best and fairest". geelongcats.com.au. 2 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  14. ^ "Prespakis Crowned the Fans' MVP". geelongcats.com.au. 2 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  15. ^ "Australian Football - Georgie Prespakis". Australian Football. Retrieved 11 December 2023.