It was a Monday that Jess Rentsch had spent forever waiting for, to hear her name on draft night and realise that her childhood dream of playing football at the top level was no longer a dream, it had become a reality.
The 18-year-old was drafted to West Coast Eagles with pick No.2 of the 2023 AFLW National Draft.
“When I heard my name, it was very overwhelming, it was a dream come true and to walk across the stage at pick two and get my jumper from Daisy (Pearce) was so surreal and a night I will forever remember,” she told Scribe Sports the following day.
“I still can’t believe I said ‘Weagles’, it all merged together but I am so excited and cannot wait for the big move.”
She tried to the describe the surreal feeling and added that she felt like she was up in the clouds.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet, I’m just super grateful to be here, it is kind of cool with everyone’s cameras, you just feel so important,” Rentsch said.
“The first moment I was like okay they’re all going to jump on me, brace yourself and then I was like oh my gosh I forgot what to do, I’m supposed to walk somewhere.
“I’m just overwhelmed … I’ve got to work at the (Penshurst) Bakery tomorrow so that’ll be great,” she laughed.
Rentsch is an exciting midfielder with incredible leadership qualities both on and off the field. She has outstanding athleticism and breaks the lines with her run, having spent most of the season playing off half-back for the Greater Western Victoria (GWV) Rebels in the Coates Talent League. Dubbed the ‘fend off queen’, she is a strong, explosive player who can change the game with her run and carry from the back half. Rentsch is the ultimate utility and has the ability to play in any position that is required from her and she tackles hard.
AFLW Eagles list manager, Jordan Loxley said there was plenty of upside to Rentsch who bought great versatility and aggression to the club.
“Jess is a real competitor, she’s got plenty of speed and power … (we) love the fend off, love the tackling so we’re really excited to bring her into the club,” he said.
While she spent most of 2023 coming out of the backline, AFL reporter Riley Beveridge suggested the Eagles would look to utilise the speedster through the midfield in the future.
“(She) did it the hard way as well this year and returned from a broken leg, generally played across half-back and had a really good year,” he said.
“She’s got a fierce fend off and is strong in the contest, played a lot of footy of half-back … but I reckon she’s got serious midfield traits.
“I reckon West Coast would want to see her go through the midfield in due course.”
Following her name being called, Rentsch received her jumper from newly appointed Eagles coach and one of the greatest to ever play AFLW, Daisy Pearce.
“And what a moment this is for her as well, because her new coach is Daisy Pearce, a player she has probably spent her whole life idolising,” Beveridge said.
Rentsch has put together an impressive CV so far, made more remarkable by the fact that her career is just beginning, and she has already overcome a traumatic injury to be back playing her best footy. She captained the GWV Rebels in the Coates Talent League, was selected into the AFLW Academy, played in the Under-18 Championships for Vic Country and was etched into the AFLW draft history books late last year.
Finding a pathway
The talented junior began her football career at Penshurst Football Netball Club playing in the boys’ junior competition and making an impact too. Having grown up with two brothers, Rentsch knew what it took to mix it with the boys and was never one to shy away from a contest, finding a love for the physical aspect of footy.
More than two years ago, Rentsch made the move to the Hampden Football Netball League (HFNL) to play football against other girls for the first time. She represented the Hamilton Kangaroos and quickly became one of the best players in the competition spending most of her time playing in the ruck. Despite being not that tall and very thin, her competitive nature and toughness around the ball allowed her to dominate in the position.
Rentsch recognised the importance of her time at both junior clubs and the impact that many people had on her career.
“They (Penshurst Football Netball Club) are the reason I fell in love with the game and the Kangaroos helped me advance into women’s sport,” she said.
“I am so grateful for both clubs.”
Rentsch brings an unmatched intensity to the game and is incredibly versatile. This is an asset that will hold the teenager in good stead at the elite level and one of many reasons as to why the Eagles had a keen interest on her coming into draft night.
Rentsch was just 15 years old the first time I spoke to her and she wasn't shy about admitting to me of her big dream to play AFLW. It is a dream many have, but not many get to fulfil that dream and say that they've actually lived it. Standing at Melville Oval in Hamilton, that goal was still a way away for Rentsch, but she had a confidence that made me believe what she was saying.
“I have wanted to play AFL before there even was a women’s comp,” Rentsch told The Hamilton Spectator.
Despite topping her club vote count and taking home the Western Victoria Female Football League (WVFFL) league best and fairest, the youngster said she was never satisfied with her performance.
“I never expected a B&F, I feel like I had a good season but there are always things to improve on,” Rentsch said.
“At the end of the game, I would often ask how and what I could do to be a better player.”
I even distinctively remember Rentsch telling me about her first involvement with the Rebels and how driven she was to take her football to the next level, and ultimately test herself. She told me that when she first found out about the Rebels, she tried to contact everyone she could and see what she could do to desperately get involved however she could. She was going to earn a spot on the list no matter what it took.
Following that season, Hamilton Kangaroos' youth female side withdrew its side due to a lack of numbers and Rentsch then decided to head down to Portland Tigers to dominate for another season in the ruck. She defended her crown and took home another WVFFL league best and fairest.
Family network
While we saw some tears and great emotion between Rentsch and her family on draft night, the positive impact they had on her football aspirations was evident from an early age.
“A big thanks to my older brother Duncan who is always helping and motivating me, (as well as) teaching me new skills,” she told The Hamilton Spectator during a later interview.
“And my little brother Cooper who goes out and kicks the footy with me.”
As mentioned earlier, Rentsch had played in boys’ competitions prior to 2021 and like many pioneers of the women’s game, she said this helped her development as a player.
“Moving from a game against the boys, the intensity did drop a little, but it also forced me to step up and play roles where I wasn’t played often,” she said.
“I would like to focus on improving my skills and reading the ball, game structure … trying to be the best player I can be.”
Being invited to try out for Rebels and working hard to earn selection in the side was the next goal for Rentsch at the time. Two years later and she was leading her Rebels teammates out onto the field as captain.
She also has a lot of family in Western Australia which will make the move to the West much easier for the teenager who can’t wait to get stuck into training with her new Eagles teammates. She made the move to WA in February this year.
Injury and resilience
Rentsch has done it the hard way after a horrific broken leg in 2022 cast doubt over her football future and draft hopes. Rentsch was running around at GMHBA stadium with some of the most talented Under-17 female prospects when she suffered one of the worst injuries a footballer can face. At just 16 years old, football drew comparisons to the air she breathed - a very long and lonely rehabilitation journey awaited her.
Eight screws and a plate. Two months on crutches. Six months away from contact sport.
Those words were heartbreaking to hear for a young girl who loved her sport and most importantly, loved her football.
Rentsch detailed the injury and the long rehab process that followed when speaking to AFL.com.au last year.
“I had to teach myself how to walk, there was a strength component to that, which was painful,” she said.
“(You) couldn't walk for too long, because it'd blow up and be too swollen at times.
“Then I got to running. I'd record myself running and I'd look completely uncoordinated, so I'd try to tweak my technique.
“I was back in contact (training) five or six months after. My fitness wasn't there. I tried my best, but it's hard coming back from building something from nothing.”
This was made harder by the fact that Jess Rentsch can run, will run and loves to run. Anyone from Penshurst or its surroundings knows the Rentsch name is synonymous with endurance running and the Penshurst Bombers of course. It’s not rare to catch her cousins and siblings on the footy field, but you won’t actually catch them, especially not Jess.
She said the speed and endurance was a focal point in her game and the way she loves to play.
“I've got some speed and can burst out of the packs, get that overlap run happening,” Rentsch said.
Growing list of achievements
After a long period on the sidelines, Rentsch was back out on the field and playing arguably the best football of her career in 2023. Despite having only just returned from her broken leg, she had shown enough to be selected into the AFLW Academy. This was big.
The news came as a surprise to Rentsch who admitted she had felt a bit of pressure to perform on the back of her leg injury. 30 of the top AFLW talents were selected into the academy which aims to prepare them for the elite environment under the watchful eye of coach and former Collingwood player, Tarkyn Lockyer. Rentsch represented the Australian Academy on Marvel Stadium in June last year against the All-Stars Under-23 side in what was a memorable experience.
“I didn’t really know it was something that I was eligible to get into and I didn’t even think for a second that I would be selected,” she said.
“I am feeling blessed, super grateful and stoked. It feels so surreal (and) words cannot describe what it was like to walk out onto an AFL ground like Marvel and get to play with a group of girls that feel like sisters.”
Soon after, the teenager was selected to represent Vic Country at the 2023 Under-18 Championships. Her dream of AFLW continued to grow as she edged closer and closer to the ultimate goal.
“I just want to focus on my fundamentals and ensuring that I’m playing at the best of my ability with a good running capacity to take on the game,” she said.
“(That way I can hopefully) hit the ground running when it comes to playing the elite standard of AFLW.
“If I get selected (to play) in the National Champs, my objective is to just lay some good tackles, go hard at it, have fun and try my best.”
Rentsch put together an impressive three championship games and was among Vic Country’s best players as she caught the eyes of coaches, recruiters and fans alike with her run out of the backline.
Rebels' commitment
As the GWV Rebels captain, studying VCE at Good Shepherd College in Hamilton was presenting its fair share of geographical challenges, as she spent many hours in the car driving thousands of kilometres for trainings and games.
Rentsch and her family made the decision that it would be better if she made the move to Ballarat Grammar for year 12 to better accommodate her Rebels' commitments. The move enabled her to train with the Rebels and made travelling to games much easier.
She seamlessly slotted into the school performing well with her studies and maintaining a healthy balance of football, life and school. From an education perspective, she was planning on a gap year in 2024 but hoped to pursue a career in the sports management field following that.
The GWV captain put together many impressive performances throughout the 2023 Coates Talent League season which ultimately gave her every chance of being drafted in the first round come draft night. Rentsch played 13 games averaging 14.4 disposals and 5.3 tackles per outing. Round 7 against Gold Coast was a tackling masterclass from Rentsch who almost had more tackles than touches finishing with 16 disposals and a staggering 15 tackles, as well as three inside-50s.
But she saved her best game for last as she tore apart the Bendigo Pioneers in Round 17. She produced arguably the best performance of any player for the season racking up stats of 27 disposals, three goals, seven tackles and 11 inside 50s. This pushed her name even higher into the Round 1 draft calculations as a ‘bolter’ and was the perfect way to finish her junior career.
Nerves of draft night
All of the hard work Rentsch had put in since she first picked up a football prepared her for and essentially came down to this one night. While the draft is not the be all and end all, it feels like it is.
The wait wasn’t as long as previously anticipated as Rentsch heard her name called with pick number two on the night, bound to jump on the plane and head West. Initially she was projected to go around the end of the first round between picks 15-25 but her choice to nominate nationally was another factor that helped her prospects.
As a GWS fan, it was thought that she may go to the Giants with pick No.3 on the night, but the Eagles were first in with pick No.2 and made sure they didn’t miss out on the Penshurst export.
The Rentsch family had previously planned to watch the draft together on their South-West farm before one phone call very quickly changed that.
“Originally I wasn’t going to go and the day before, Daisy rang dad and asked if I could get down there,” Rentsch said.
“So, I had a rough idea that they were interested but you never know with the draft.”
Following this strong indication that she may be drafted much higher than previously expected, Rentsch, on short notice, gathered as many friends and family as she could to take down to Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.
Good friend Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner was the first pick of the draft destined for the club she had grown up supporting, the Western Bulldogs. The next moments were a blur for Rentsch after AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon called her name next.
Her large group of friends and family went crazy as cheers erupted around the room and people across the country smiled together. This will forever remain one of Rentsch’s favourite memories as tears rolled down her face and she hugged her parents, before embracing with her new coach. She grinned from ear to ear as she was presented with her jumper.
“It’s amazing (to have Daisy as coach) and I can’t wait to get stuck into it and training,” the Eagles youngster said.
WAFL experience
Rentsch was given the opportunity to play a bit of WAFL footy before the AFLW season started, and it was an experience that was very beneficial for her.
She played four games for East Perth and put together some impressive performances being named in the best on two occasions, which included a best on ground performance in her debut game against West Perth where she had 14 disposals, five marks and one goal.
She continued her fine form in the following games against Swan Districts (14 disposals, seven tackles), Claremont (11 disposals, three marks) and Peel Thunder (16 disposals, four tackles).
Debut win to start new Pearce-era
It was the perfect way to star her AFLW career as Rentsch recorded a win in her first game against Richmond to successfully start the new Daisy Pearce era on a high.
The Eagles' No.7 lined up across half-back and is expected to play a key role in defence throughout her debut season, finishing the game with seven disposals and two tackles. But she made a great impact when she got the ball and moved it forward with power, evident with her 206 metres gained.
It is also clear that the young gun has spent a bit of time in the gym in the pre-season as she looks stronger than ever before.
She was surrounded by family and friends in Perth as her team gave her a Gatorade shower to celebrate the thrilling one-point win over the Tigers.
Rentsch’s road to the draft has been a long but rewarding one.
It all started with a dream while kicking the footy around in the backyard with her two brothers, and now Jess Rentsch is a West Coast Eagles player. But her story doesn’t stop there with no limits on what she can achieve at the top level.
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