AFLW: Wallalup (Fremantle) Dockers unveil Indigenous strip tribute to former player Tia Tooth

Docker’s first football journey has inspired this year’s Indigenous jumper, which Wallalupe (Fremantle) players will wear over the next two weeks as they look to secure a place in the finals.

Tia Toth’s story is at the center of a new film created by her sister Brianna Haynes. Toth played 24 AFLW games before her career ended in 2022.

Having endured ups and downs in football, including an injury-plagued career that saw her cut from the Dockers and then drafted, Toth said she was proud to be recognized as a piece of art for the club.

“For me, this story is more about my journey through the ballpark…how I was able to come back twice and was lucky enough to get drafted again after a couple of injuries,” Toth explained.

“I was lucky enough to ask Brianna to help me with the design and she did a really good job of capturing every little detail of my story and translating it into an illustration.”

The jumper features seven circles representing the various clubs Toth played for, while the five inner circles symbolize her serious injuries, including the shoulder injury that sidelined her just three games into her AFLW career in 2017 .

There are also wagtails, as a tribute to the family totem: the bird is associated with the couple’s relative Nannie Dixon after her recent death at the age of 98.

“I am very grateful that Tia chose me to collaborate on the design as I was by her side throughout the entire journey,” Haynes said.