Meg Downie (born 3 January 1989) is a retired

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 played for the

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. It is based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, ...

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 women's Australian rules football, female players. The 2017 AFL Women's season, first season of the league ...

(AFLW) competition.

AFLW career

Downie was recruited by

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

as a free agent in October 2016. She made her debut in the 15 point loss to 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, ...

in the opening round of the 2017 season. She played in the next round against , during which she was knocked out in a brutal clash with Collingwood player

Sophie Casey Sophie Casey (born 22 October 1991) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Collingwood Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). Early life and state football Born in Holbrook, New South Wales, Casey was introduced to footy with Ausk ...

. Downie suffered a heavy concussion and was unconscious for several minutes before leaving the ground on a stretcher. Casey was given a two match ban for the incident and Downie missed the remainder of the season due to a hamstring injury suffered moments before the clash. Melbourne re-signed Downie for the 2018 season during the trade period in May 2017. In June 2021, after five seasons at the club, Downie retired from the game. Downie's on field career highlights included selection in the 2018 All Australian team. Her off field contributions included her election to the AFL Players Association Board replacing her predecessor Daisy Pearce where she served for two years. She was the second ever female to serve on the board in the AFL's history. Other contributions included being a member of the AFL Bushfire Relief Governance Committee where she contributed to the distribution of funds to communities impacted by the 2020 Victorian Bushfires. Ever since the retirement, very little is known about her personal life.

References

External links

* * 1989 births Living people Melbourne Football Club (AFLW) players Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) All-Australians (AFL Women's) Victorian Women's Football League players {{AFL-bio-1980s-stub