Elise O'Dea (born 4 September 1991) is an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er playing for the

Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club based at Princes Park (stadium), Princes Park in Carlton North, Victoria, Carlton North, an inner suburb of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. The c ...

in the

AFL Women's AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football competition for women's Australian rules football, female players. The 2017 AFL Women's season, first season of the l ...

(AFLW). She served as Melbourne co-captain for the 2019 season.

Early life

O'Dea was born in

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

in the

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...

(ACT) to a family of

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons or colloquially the Dees, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier comp ...

supporters and started playing football at fourteen years of age when she joined the Belconnen Magpies Football Club women's team. She made her senior debut in round one of the 2006 season against Ainslie in the AFL Canberra Women's competition. She was selected as part of the ACT representative teams in 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2011. O'Dea was also named part of the 2011 All-Australian women's team, and won both her club and league's

best and fairest In Australian sport, the best and fairest award recognises the player(s) adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition. The awards are sometimes dependent on not receiving a suspensi ...

awards in 2012.

Football career

O'Dea moved to Victoria in 2013 to join the

Darebin Falcons The Darebin Women's Sports Club, nicknamed the Falcons, is a sports club based in the northern suburbs of Melbourne that is primarily notable for its women's Australian rules football, Australian rules football team which competes in the highest- ...

. Wearing number 30 and playing on the wing and half forward flank, was named as part of the Victorian state teams in 2013 and 2014, and was selected to play for both the Melbourne Football Club and

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Originally named the Footscray F ...

as part of a series of women's exhibition games.

AFL Women's

In 2016, O'Dea became the first player drafted by the Melbourne Football Club in the first AFLW draft and wore the number five guernsey in her debut season. Prior to the start of the season, she was announced as one of two vice-captains for Melbourne, alongside Melissa Hickey. She made her debut during round 1 of the 2017 season against at

Casey Fields Casey Fields is a $30 million, 70 hectare multi-sports complex in the City of Casey at Cranbourne East, a southeastern suburb of Melbourne. The complex is home to Australian rules football, cricket, netball, soccer, tennis, cycle spor ...

. In the round four match against , she collected twenty-seven disposals. At the end of the 2017 season, O'Dea was nominated by her teammates for the AFL Players' Most Valuable Player Award. She was also listed in the 2017 All-Australian team. Melbourne signed O'Dea for the 2018 season during the trade period in May 2017. In December 2018, O'Dea and Shelley Scott were announced as Melbourne co-captains. Following the conclusion of the 2020 season both O'Dea and fellow Demon Maddy Guerin were traded to the

in exchange for Pick 15 in the 2020 NAB AFLW Draft.

Statistics

: ''Statistics are correct to the end of the 2017 season.'' , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, , 5 , , 7 , , 1 , , 1 , , 82 , , 53 , , 135 , , 20 , , 32 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 11.7 , , 7.6 , , 19.3 , , 2.9 , , 4.6 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 7 ! 1 ! 1 ! 82 ! 53 ! 135 ! 20 ! 32 ! 0.1 ! 0.1 ! 11.7 ! 7.6 ! 19.3 ! 2.9 ! 4.6

Personal life

Outside football, O'Dea works as an accountant.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:ODea, Elise 1991 births Melbourne Football Club (AFLW) players Sportspeople from Canberra Living people Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) All-Australians (AFL Women's) Australian accountants Darebin Falcons players Carlton Football Club (AFLW) players