Why I left the Tigers: Sabrina on Magpie switchSarah Black
womens.afl
1 June 2021A RELENTLESS quest for a new challenge, the appeal of playing a pure forward role and some sustained pestering from good friend Brit Bonnici are behind Sabrina Frederick's move to Collingwood.
The now-former Tiger made the switch to the Magpies on Monday in the opening move of the AFLW Sign and Trade Period, with Maddie Shevlin making the return trip (as well as a number of draft picks exchanging hands).
Frederick told womens.afl Collingwood had been in contact over the past few years, on the hunt for a key forward, but the timing was now right to move.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about my future during the season, for me personally, I'm constantly in search of challenging myself," Frederick told womens.afl.
"At the end of the season, I had conversations with [Richmond] about what they saw from my future and where they saw the club going. It didn't develop fully until after that point.
"It was always in the back of my mind, the challenges for me are always in the back of my mind. It's not a big thing, but once the season was over, I could think about what was next.
"I'm turning 25, I'm getting into that stage of life where not just off the field, but on the field, I'm taking a huge step in my life. It was sort of around then I decided a change would be good."
Frederick played primarily as a forward-ruck for Richmond, particularly in 2021 where her height was needed to support the undersized Gabby Seymour.
"My pre-season this year just gone was such a good pre-season, I felt like it was the best one I'd ever had," she said.
"Unfortunately, I didn't really get the chance to show that in my football on the ground as a forward. I think this time around, I'm really excited to push myself in that position and take my football as a forward to the next level.
"As a footballer, the frustration does definitely pop up from time to time, but I'm the type of person if the team needs me to do whatever the team needs me to do, I'm happy to do it.
"I love the game, so for me, just being able to go out there and play is amazing. I think it was definitely a test for me to be thrown into that position, and I learnt a lot about myself and where I see my career going forward.
"But [I didn't get to] the point where frustration turned to anger, I didn't leave the club angry or anything like that. I do wish things could have been different, but in this industry, sporting careers can be very short-lived, and you have to make the most out of every opportunity."
Frederick won't be going into unfamiliar territory, already having firm friendships with a number of Collingwood players.
"One of my best mates [Bonnici] plays there, so she was always hinting about coming over. She's one of my best friends, I've known her for too long, probably 12 years. She's one of the players I respect highly in this competition but also, I respect her so much as a person," Frederick said.
"There are other players in that team, Bri Davey, 'Choch' (Steph Chiocci), Chloe Molloy, Ruby (Schleicher), there's so many over there that I'm good friends with and I think that's also a really good fit for me."
Frederick will now be at her third club, having played 23 games at Brisbane in 2017 and 2018, and adding a further 17 at the Tigers over the past two seasons.
"It's hard to explain to people. When I got to Brisbane, I was 19, I was a kid and very, very different and I've changed a lot since then. Then I went to Richmond, and I changed a lot in that process, and in the last two years, I've changed a lot as well," Frederick said.
"I'm constantly searching for a challenge to help me grow. It's not necessarily something that I'm missing, but I'm constantly searching for something to challenge me.
"I'm so lucky to have played at those clubs, I'm so, so lucky. I enjoyed my time at Brisbane and I'll never forget it. I've enjoyed my time at Tigerland and I'll never forget it.
"It's not something where I feel like I left because they weren't good enough, it's definitely not that at all. I'm just looking forward to playing at Collingwood, I think they'll give me my next challenge and I'm hoping that I can stay there for as long as I can."
https://womens.afl/news/72504
