Sarah Dargan
Dargan with Richmond in February 2021
Personal information
Date of birth (1999-02-03) 3 February 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth Melbourne
Original team(s) Calder Cannons (TAC Cup)
Draft No. 20, 2017 AFL Women's draft
Debut Round 1, 2018, Collingwood vs. Carlton, at Ikon Park
Height 165 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s) Forward / Midfielder
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2018–2020 Collingwood 14 (2)
2021–2022 (S6) Richmond 11 (2)
2022 (S7) Sydney 09 (3)
Total 34 (7)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2022 season 7.
Career highlights
Source: AustralianFootball.com

Sarah Dargan (born 3 February 1999) is an Australian rules footballer who last played with Sydney in the AFL Women's competition (AFLW). She previously played three seasons with Collingwood, after being drafted to the club in the 2017 draft, and two seasons with Richmond after being traded to the club ahead of the 2021 season.

Early life and state football

Dargan grew up in Melbourne with a family who love Australian rules football, kicking a ball around the backyard with her older brother, Matt.[1] Dargan started out as a basketballer, before playing junior football for Pascoe Vale in division one of the Northern Football League, excelling as a mid-sized forward.[1][2] Ahead of 2015, she joined Calder Cannons in the TAC Cup and played senior football with them for three years, being touted as a superstar.[1][3][4] While playing with Calder Cannons, she also represented Vic Metro for 3 years.[5] In 2015, she helped Vic Metro win the 2015 AFL Youth Girls National Championships title, scoring a goal in the Grand Final at Bendigo Bank Stadium, where they beat Queensland by seven points.[6] This followed her two goals against Queensland in their opening match preceding it.[7] In 2016 she was part of the Vic Metro team that won the 2016 AFL Youth Girls National Championships title.[8] In 2017, Dargan was named one of Vic Metro's best in their opening loss to Vic Country, but due to this loss they lost the 2017 AFL Women's Under 18 Championships title to Vic Country despite winning their remaining games.[9] In April 2018, Calder Cannon's coach, Alicia Eva, labelled Dargan as a "special kind of player" and predicted her being drafted to an AFLW club.[10]

AFL Women's career

Dargan was drafted by Collingwood with their third selection and twentieth overall in the 2017 AFL Women's draft.[10] Collingwood's coach, Wayne Siekman, said "she is clean off the ground, has a good change of pace and knows where the goals are."[5] Her selection defined her as a bolter, having not being invited to the combine or the draft itself.[1] She made her debut in the eight point loss to Carlton at Ikon Park in the opening round of the 2018 season.[11] In the winter of 2018, she played three games for Collingwood's VFL Women's (VFLW) team, before rupturing her Lisfranc ligament in her left foot, which required a long period of rest and rehabilitation.[12] At the beginning she was upset not being able to play, but looking back she appreciated being able to see the coaches' box angle of the game which helped develop her knowledge.[2] In round 2 of the 2019 season, Dargan kicked her first professional goal against Melbourne, which was Collingwood's first AFLW goal at the club's spiritual home, Victoria Park.[13][2] In round 4 of the season, she was nominated for the AFL Women's Rising Star award, following her move to the midfield and her performance in Collingwood's nine point loss to Greater Western Sydney. She finished the game with a career-high 16 disposals, as well as laying six tackles and kicking a goal.[12] She was surprised by the nomination, but honoured and happy to see her hard work pay off.[2] Dargan played a key role for Collingwood in the 2019 season.[14] In April 2019, she re-committed to Collingwood, alongside Brittany Bonnici, Ruby Schleicher, Erica Fowler, Sophie Alexander, Eliza Hynes, and captain Steph Chiocci.[15] In August 2020, Dargan was traded together with Sarah D'Arcy to Richmond in a deal which saw Collingwood receive Aliesha Newman.[16][17] In May 2022, Dargan joined expansion club Sydney for their inaugural season.[18] In March 2023, Dargan was delisted by Sydney, having played a key role in their forward line.[19]

Statistics

Statistics are correct to round 3, 2022 season 6[20]
Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2018 Collingwood 46 3 0 0 3 6 9 1 3 0.0 0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 0.3 1.0
2019 Collingwood 46 7 2 2 51 21 72 10 28 0.3 0.3 7.3 3.0 10.3 1.4 4.0
2020 Collingwood 46 4 0 1 8 20 28 2 10 0.0 0.3 2.0 5.0 7.0 0.5 2.5
2021 Richmond 17 8 0 1 19 21 40 3 20 0.0 0.1 2.4 2.6 5.0 0.4 2.5
2022 (S6) Richmond 17 1 1 0 5 4 9 2 1 1.0 0.0 5.0 4.0 9.0 2.0 1.0
Career 23 3 4 86 72 158 18 62 0.1 0.2 3.7 3.1 6.9 0.8 2.7

References

  1. ^ a b c d Black, Sarah (19 January 2018). "AFLW: Pies draft bolter relishes 'underdog' tag". Australian Football League. Telstra Media. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Mullan, Alanna (26 February 2019). "AFLW: Dargan wins rising star nomination". Collingwood. Telstra Media. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  3. ^ "TAC Youth Girls Academies announced". AFL Victoria. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  4. ^ Montesano, Julia (8 April 2018). "Female Football In The EDFL - The Dream Is Real". Essendon District Football League. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  5. ^ a b "AFLW Draft: Meet the new Magpies". Collingwood. Telstra Media. 18 October 2017. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017.
  6. ^ "Vic Metro Win Youth Girls National Champs". AFL Community. 9 May 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  7. ^ "Vic Metro prevail over Queensland". AFL Queensland. 7 May 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  8. ^ O'Connor, Callum (7 May 2016). "Vic Metro claims National Youth Girls title". AFL Victoria. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  9. ^ "Calder Cannons fail at the finish". Northern Star Weekly. 20 June 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  10. ^ a b Michell, Tim (31 October 2017). "Collingwood recruit Sarah Dargan ready to make her mark in second season of AFL Women's". Herald Sun. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  11. ^ Salemme, Kate (1 February 2018). "AFLW Round 1 teams named: Stars set for second season". Herald Sun. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  12. ^ a b Black, Sarah (26 February 2019). "Great footy bloodlines in round four Rising Star nominee". AFL Women's. Telstra Media. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  13. ^ Ryan, Peter (9 February 2019). "No joy for Magpies in return to Victoria Park as Demons dominate". The Age. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  14. ^ McNerney, Elly (7 February 2020). "'She's got a bit of X-Factor': Collingwood Magpies AFLW Preview". The Women's Game. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  15. ^ Lewis, Tash (9 April 2019). "Seven is Heaven: Pies re-commit for 2020". Collingwood. Telstra Media. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  16. ^ Lewis, Tash (4 August 2020). "Newman to don black and white in 2021". Collingwood. Telstra. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  17. ^ "Tigers welcome trio". Richmond. Telstra. 4 August 2020. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  18. ^ "Experienced Lochland and Dargan join Swans AFLW list". Sydney Swans. Telstra. 27 May 2022. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  19. ^ "Sydney makes three AFLW list changes". Sydney Swans. Telstra. 10 March 2023.
  20. ^ "Sarah Dargan - Player Stats By Season". Australian Football. Retrieved 25 January 2022.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sarah Dargan.
2019 AFL Women's Rising Star nominees
Inaugural Sydney Swans AFL Women's team
2017 AFL Women's draft
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