As voted by her peers, Chelsea Randall has won the AFLW Players’ Most Courageous Player Award for the second year in a row, proudly presented by Vifor Pharma.
Chelsea Randall is a player’s player.
Despite all the attention from pundits around the country who value her skill, courage and aerial prowess, the people who unquestionably value her most are her peers.
There’s seldom a moment in a game when Chelsea Randall doesn’t do something outrageously brave.
She regularly runs back with the flight of the ball and not only affects the contest but often pulls down the mark. Perhaps even more spectacular is her ability to be the first one up off the ground and carrying on with the play.
It’s why Randall’s teammates love her. She’s resolute in defence and resilient in life.
“She’s a mature person for her age because she’s still quite young,” teammate Courtney Cramey told AFLPlayers.com.au.
“The way she handles herself as a footballer is how she handles herself in life. She’s well-spoken and does all the right things. She leads by example. She’s someone the young girls aspire to be like.”
It’s no surprise given the season she had that Randall received the Crows Club Champion Award and the Players’ Award in 2018.
She also becomes the seventh player to win multiple Most Courageous player awards and the first AFLW player to do so.
The Adelaide Co-Captain inspires with acts of courage on the field but the way she supports her teammates is what makes her a joy to be alongside.
“When she does acts like run back with the flight or take a courageous mark, it’s team lifting and really inspires you when you’re out there knowing she’s going to put her body on the line for you,” Cramey said.
“It’s the way she crashes packs and supports her teammates in a one-on-one. One that springs to mind is when we were playing Carlton at Adelaide Oval, Sarah Allen was lining up on Tayla Harris at one point and Chels left her opponent to come and support.
“Knowing she’ll give her all, never give up and will always try and lift her teammates, she’s a courageous leader.”
Such is the nature of the way Randall plays, the only blip on the 2018 season for the 26-year-old was a head knock suffered in the last round against Collingwood.
She missed the second half of the match having already registered 14 disposals, three contested marks and five rebounds.
Highlighting her importance to the side, Randall’s loss unsettled the Crows as they finished with a 21-point loss to the Magpies, putting an end to a season that never quite got going.
But if there’s one Crow who could hold her head high after the second AFLW season, you couldn’t look further than Randall.