Tiarna Ernst
Ernst playing for the Western Bulldogs in February 2017
Personal information
Date of birth (1988-01-24) 24 January 1988 (age 36)
Place of birth Thursday Island, Queensland
Original team(s) Diamond Creek (VFL Women's)
Draft No. 108, 2016 AFL Women's draft
Debut Round 1, 2017, Western Bulldogs vs. Fremantle, at VU Whitten Oval
Height 180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Ruck
Club information
Current club Gold Coast
Number 19
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2017–2019 Western Bulldogs 22 (0)
2020 Gold Coast 07 (1)
Total 29 (1)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2020 season.
Career highlights

2018 AFLW Premiership

Source: AustralianFootball.com

Tiarna Ernst (born 24 January 1988) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Western Bulldogs and Gold Coast in the AFL Women's competition.

Early life

Ernst was born on Thursday Island[1] in the Torres Strait region of Queensland and spent the majority of her childhood in Bamaga in the Cape York Peninsula.[2] She relocated with her family to Julatten prior to entering high school. She competed in athletics events as a youth and was only introduced to Australian rules football while attending James Cook University in Cairns when she was convinced to play in the local football league for the Manunda Hawks.[3] Ernst was drafted by the Western Bulldogs with their 14th selection and 108th overall in the 2016 AFL Women's draft.[4]

She is a medical doctor trained in obstetrics and gynaecology[5] and is currently a fertility specialist for City Fertility.

AFLW career

She made her debut in the thirty-two point win against Fremantle at VU Whitten Oval in the opening round of the 2017 season.[6] She played every match in her debut season to finish with seven games.[7] In April 2019, Ernst joined expansion club Gold Coast.[8] Ernst announced her retirement in October 2020, stating that she was unable to successfully juggle both football and her medical career.[9]

References

  1. ^ Lane, Samantha (28 January 2017). "The Western Bulldogs player who delivers four babies in one night". The Age. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  2. ^ Ernst, Tiarna (17 March 2018). "Footy is the best medicine". athletesvoice.com.au. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  3. ^ Mounter, Brendan (26 March 2018). "Catching babies by day and a footy in her spare time, meet doctor and AFLW premiership star Tiarna Ernst". abc.net.au. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  4. ^ "Lambert top pick, 19 added to women's team". WesternBulldogs.com.au. Bigpond. 12 October 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  5. ^ "AFLW: The Western Bulldogs player who delivers four babies in one night". 28 January 2017.
  6. ^ "AFLW Teams Round 1: Full sides named for inaugural round of AFL Women's competition". Fox Sports (Australia). News Corp Australia. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  7. ^ "Tiarna Ernst". AustralianFootball.com. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  8. ^ Cheadle, Josh (15 April 2019). "SUNS secure premiership Dog". Gold Coast. Telstra Media. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  9. ^ Cheadle, Josh (2 October 2020). "Tiarna Ernst Announces Retirement". www.goldcoastfc.com.au. Retrieved 25 January 2021.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tiarna Ernst.
Western Bulldogs 2018 AFL Women's premiers
Inaugural Western Bulldogs AFL Women's team
Inaugural Gold Coast AFL Women's team
2015 AFL women's mini-draft
2016 AFL Women's draft
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