RESILIENT. Motivated. Determined.
Shineah Goody is an exciting football talent but it has not just happened.
From the small town of Edithburgh, home to about 500 people and about two-and-a-half hours from Adelaide near the southern tip of the beautiful Yorke Peninsula, Goody has covered more kilometres than most in her pursuit of an AFLW dream.
That dream should become reality in 2024 with the 18-year-old’s signing with Port Adelaide as part of the Expansion Under18 Talent Pathway pre-signing period in November.
A part of Port Adelaide’s Next Generation Academy during her younger years, Goody burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old in the SANFLW playing for Woodville-West Torrens.
But if it was not for her family driving her back and forth to Adelaide – a five-hour round trip – for trainings, and a bit of self-motivation, Goody may never have given herself the chance to play at the elite level.
“I obviously couldn’t get to all three trainings with the (Woodville-West Torrens) Eagles so I’d do a lot of training by myself,” Goody told portadelaidefc.com.au. “It took a lot of resilience and self-motivation.
“I’d feel bad for being selected in the league side at times but I’m grateful they gave me the opportunity and the girls were so supportive of me.
“It was hard. Mum and Dad would mostly drive me but sometimes they’d be busy so my brother and sister would actually take me to trainings, which was nice of them.
“I’d played with Henley Sharks and been in the youth programs with the Eagles so we’ve been coming back and forth a few times per week since I was probably 14.”
A classy midfielder, clean in possession and neat in disposal, Goody is strong, athletic, competitive and wins plenty of the football.
As a country girl, she puts much of her athleticism down to playing plenty of sport growing up. There was netball, cricket, golf – just about anything with a ball and anything that kept her outside.
And then around the age of 11, footy.
“Back home on the Yorke Peninsula, I’d always have a ball in my hand and one night I was kicking a footy into a bin I put on my bed,” she recalled.
“Someone I knew who was involved with the Southern Eagles just said that I should go out and play with the boys.
“There were no girls teams and they’re still struggling a bit now to find enough girls out there. I think in the country because you’re so far from everything, it’s hard to get the numbers together.
“When I was playing with the boys in the under 12s and under 14s, there would have only been two or three other girls playing in the league and I reckon now there are so many more girls getting involved, which is so good to see.”
Described as one of the most well-rounded players in the 2023 draft crop, Goody is a dual under 18 All-Australian, a best and fairest for the Eagles and was MVP at the Under 18 National championship in her underage year in 2022, finishing runner-up MVP in 2023.
She was also named the SANFLW’s Powerade Breakthrough player in 2022, an award won by her new Port Adelaide teammates Hannah Ewings (2020), Lauren Young (2021) and Piper Window (2023).
While the awards are piling up, Goody remains driven to achieve more, admitting had she not been taken by an AFLW team, she had no alternate plans for study or work post her schooling.
Questioned about when she realised she was good at footy, her response was simple.
“I haven't,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’m not satisfied with what I’ve done (so far). Hopefully, being in the elite environment and having all the resources on hand, I can take my game to the next level.
“I’m doing as much as I can in the off-season to fully hit pre-season in the best condition, just hitting the little extras and everything.
“But obviously the main goal is just to play (AFLW) as early as I can and as much as I can.”
Goody and her teammates are due to return to Alberton for pre-season training in early June.
