Jessica Wuetschner (born 28 April 1992) 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 oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er who currently plays for

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United King ...

, and previously played for the

Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions is a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was formed in late 1996 via a merger of the Melbourne-based 1883 foundation VFL c ...

, in the

AFL Women's AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football league for female players. The first season of the league in February and March 2017 had eight teams; the league expanded to 10 teams in the 2019 season, 1 ...

(AFLW) competition.

Early life

Born in

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

, Wuetschner first formally played football at age 16 and quickly went on to be a standout performer in the Tasmanian Women's League for

Clarence Football Club The Clarence Football Club, nicknamed ''The Kangaroos'' (and usually referred to as simply "The Roos"), is an Australian rules football club playing in the Tasmanian State League, based in Bellerive, Tasmania. Before 1947, they existed as Bel ...

. From 2011 to 2013, she won both the league's leading goal-kicker award and the league's best and fairest award each year, while her team achieved a rare premiership

three-peat In North American sports, a three-peat is winning three consecutive championships. The term, a portmanteau of the words ''three'' and ''repeat'', originated with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association, during their unsuccess ...

. Wuetschner also proved to be a notable talent across various other sports while growing up, representing her state in

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

at underage level, and winning the best and fairest award in the Cricket Tasmania Premier League women's competition for both the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons. In 2014, Wuetschner moved to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

and began playing for

East Fremantle East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...

in the

West Australian Women's Football League The West Australian Women's Football League (WAWFL) was the governing body of women's Australian rules football in the state of Western Australia from 1987 until its dissolution in 2021. It organised the premier women's football league in Wes ...

(WAWFL). In May 2015, she was selected to play for the in AFL-sanctioned exhibition matches against at the

MCG The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hem ...

and

Docklands Stadium Docklands Stadium, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Marvel Stadium, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the Docklands area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction started in October 1997 and was ...

. In 2015, Wuetschner was part of an international exchange that saw her play Australian rules in the United States with the Boston Lady Demons in the USAFLW playing at the

2015 USAFL National Championships The 2015 USAFL National Championships was the 19th instalment of the premier United States annual Australian rules football club tournament. The tournament was held in Austin, Texas, for the third time, from 17 October to 18 October. It was the ...

AFL Women's career

Wuetschner was recruited by with the number 34 pick in the

2016 AFL Women's draft The 2016 AFL Women's draft consisted of the various periods when the eight clubs in the AFL Women's AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football league for w ...

. She made her debut in the Lions' inaugural game 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, cycling, go ...

on 5 February 2017. Wuetschner kicked two goals during Brisbane's six-point loss to in the 2017 grand final. At the end of the season, she was listed in the 40-player All-Australian squad. In 2018, Wuetschner placed second behind

Brooke Lochland Brooke Lochland (born 3 May 1991) is an Australian rules footballer and former speed skater. Lochland currently plays for the Sydney Swans in the AFL Women's (AFLW), having previously played for the Western Bulldogs from 2017 to 2022. In 2018, ...

in the league goal-kicking award, finishing the regular season with 11 goals. Despite playing in another six-point grand final loss, this time at the hands of the , she once again kicked two goals for Brisbane on the day. Her standout year as a forward was rewarded with selection in the

All-Australian team The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-perf ...

. She re-signed with the Lions for the following season, having rejected offers from expansion club . Brisbane slumped to a 2–5 win–loss record in

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, however Wuetschner still managed eight goals from seven matches—including a three-goal performance in her club's two-point round one victory against —and earned a third All-Australian nomination. Two weeks before the beginning of the 2020 season, Wuetschner was struck by lightning while working as a

stevedore A stevedore (), also called a longshoreman, a docker or a dockworker, is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes. After the shipping container revolution of the 1960s, the number o ...

at the

Port of Brisbane Port of Brisbane is the shipping port and coastal suburb of the City of Brisbane, on the east coast of Queensland, Australia. In the , Port of Brisbane had no residents living in the suburb. The port is the largest in the state of Queensland. ...

. She avoided serious injury from the traumatic incident, but struggled with her mental health in the subsequent months and considered retiring from football. Having missed the opening month of the 2021 season, Wuetschner re-established herself as a key fixture of Brisbane's line-up as the team went on to win their first premiership. In the 18-point Grand Final victory against Adelaide at

Adelaide Oval Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby ...

, she rose to the occasion in typical fashion, kicking two goals off her "beautiful" left foot. After a five-disposal game against in round four of the 2022 season, Wuetschner was omitted from the Brisbane line-up. Later in the season, she announced a decision to take time away from AFLW in order to focus on her mental health. In a club press release, the Brisbane Lions stated they would "continue to provide Jess with our full support". In May 2022, Wuetschner was delisted by Brisbane. The following month, she was signed by expansion club

as a delisted free agent.

Statistics

''Statistics correct to the end of 2022 season.'' , - style="background:#EAEAEA" , scope="row" text-align:center ,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

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2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, , 23 , , 8 , , bgcolor="b7e718" , 13 , , 6 , , 61 , , 17 , , 78 , , 19 , , 23 , , bgcolor="b7e718" , 1.6 , , 0.8 , , 7.6 , , 2.1 , , 9.8 , , 2.4 , , 2.9 , , 3 , - style="background:#EAEAEA" , scope="row" text-align:center ,

, , 23 , , 7 , , 8 , , 6 , , 53 , , 23 , , 76 , , 19 , , 15 , , 1.1 , , 0.9 , , 7.6 , , 3.3 , , 10.9 , , 2.7 , , 2.1 , , 0 , - , scope="row" text-align:center ,

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

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2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, , 23 , , 7 , , 6 , , 6 , , 35 , , 17 , , 52 , , 16 , , 15 , , 0.9 , , 0.9 , , 5.0 , , 2.4 , , 7.4 , , 2.3 , , 2.1 , , 0 , - , scope="row" text-align:center ,

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, , 23 , , 3 , , 2 , , 2 , , 18 , , 5 , , 23 , , 6 , , 8 , , 0.7 , , 0.7 , , 6.0 , , 1.7 , , 7.7 , , 2.0 , , 2.7 , , 0 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 38 ! 37 ! 25 ! 241 ! 93 ! 334 ! 88 ! 96 ! 1.0 ! 0.7 ! 6.3 ! 2.4 ! 8.8 ! 2.3 ! 2.5 ! 3

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wuetschner, Jess 1992 births Living people Australian rules footballers from Hobart Sportswomen from Tasmania Brisbane Lions (AFLW) players All-Australians (AFL Women's) Essendon Football Club (AFLW) players