Emmelie Fiedler had told herself to treat her second chance at AFLW level “as it comes”. Don’t get your hopes up too much. Whatever will be, will be.
After all, the 22-year-old — who grew up in Malaysia and had very little exposure to the sport growing up — knew exactly what it was like to have her debut dreams dashed after spending a season on Fremantle’s list without breakthrough.
What was devastation close to time last year has transformed into elation however, with Fiedler locked in to make her long-awaited debut this Sunday against Essendon at Windy Hill.
Fiedler’s late arrival at St Kilda, which saw her miss the annual photo day, was the perfect excuse to disguise a semi-faux shoot into a debut announcement, with senior coach Nick Dal Santo “crashing” the occasion to deliver the good news.
“I had a little bit of an inkling something could happen, but not really! It’s been a year in the making,” Fiedler told saints.com.au.
“I came in today without any expectations. I was trying not to get my hopes up because I went through a season previously (at Fremantle) and not playing.
“But this, in the (Saints) jumper now, is pretty cool!”
Fiedler had earlier been earmarked to make her way from WA to the Saints, albeit in a train-on player capacity in light of her prominent campaign for East Fremantle in the WAFLW.
Continuing to chip away out west as she and the Sharks built towards a Grand Final berth, the dialogue remained open between her, the Saints and assistant coach Lachie Harris.
The conversations suddenly changed tune a fortnight before she was due to arrive.
Saints defender Beth Pinchin had sadly ruptured her ACL at training. There could perhaps be more than just a train-on opportunity on the horizon.
“Lachie had been calling me, telling me there was potential for me coming over as a train-on player which was really, really exciting. I knew it was something I wanted to do, even at a train-on level," Fiedler said.
“It was just another push into the direction of me committing to come here and doing it sooner than I expected (with Beth’s injury).
“It was kind of a slow burn, but also abrupt. A bit of both, really!”
Fiedler’s path to the highest level has been less conventional, and far more worldly, than most.
Born and raised in Malaysia and only having a passing knowledge of football through her Perth-born dad, Fiedler (who played volleyball as a junior) first fell into footy abroad in an expats competition, with some encouragement from her old man.
“Growing up in Malaysia, footy really isn’t in the forefront of your mind and doesn’t intertwine with the lifestyle,” Fiedler said.
“There’s a big Australian community of expats there and they started a women’s team. Dad was like ‘listen, step into your Australian heritage and try to play some footy!’.
“We weren’t good at all, like at all! But it was fun, my sister and I were quite tall and somewhat athletic. It’s all worked out now.”
That it certainly has. After a stint at Fremantle, St Kilda is where Fiedler is now calling home.
However it goes on Sunday and whatever it is that comes next, rest assured Fiedler will be taking it as it comes.
