Sport
3 December, 2024
Bruton joins exclusive club in North Melbourne’s AFLW flag
Former Trentham footballer Jenna Bruton has become a two-time premiership player, taking part in Saturday night’s grand final for North Melbourne in the AFL Women’s competition.
Bruton was cruelly denied the chance to play a full game in last year’s decider against Brisbane, injuring her Achilles in the opening minutes as North Melbourne went on to lose to Brisbane by 17 points.
But with North Melbourne looking to avenge their loss from last season, all against their grand final conquerers from 2023, and the opportunity to make history as the first unbeaten premiers in VFL/AFL/AFLW history, Bruton was able to get another chance.
Bruton would play her role in North’s 30-point victory, collecting 12 disposals and laying four tackles as North dominated the game at Carlton’s Ikon Park from start to finish.
The premiership was North Melbourne’s first in the AFLW competition, and their first premier-ship of any kind since their men’s team took the 1999 premiership.
It’s a second premiership success for Bruton, who was able to play in the Western Bulldogs’ 2018 success.
Bruton is now part of an exclusive AFLW club — just four players have played in multiple premierships for different teams, with Bruton, Emma Kearney and Kim Rennie joining the club on Saturday night, while teammate Libby Birch became the first player to win three premierships on three different teams.