WHEN she was 18, Abbey Dowrick missed an opportunity to be drafted after surrounding herself with the wrong people in high school. She wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.
“I was an electrical apprentice back home in Western Australia, I was talking to Fremantle at the time and they would have been keen on me but I was struggling to even get to WAFLW training on time,” Dowrick told AFL.com.au.
“I didn’t put myself around the right people, just trying to fit in at school.
“When I got the opportunity to come to Port [Adelaide] after playing a few games at the [SANFLW side Woodville West-Torrens] Eagles, I remember my old man saying ‘I think the best thing you can do is leave the state’.
“And I think that’s probably been the best thing for me, as much as it’s been a struggle being away from family - though they’re here every bloody weekend it feels like!
“I honestly think if I had gotten picked up when I was 18, I don’t think I would have been putting my best foot forward.
“So I’m kind of grateful that Freo did turn me away at that time, just to kind of kick me up the bum a bit.”
It meant that when she arrived at Port Adelaide ahead of the Power’s entry into the AFLW competition in 2022, Dowrick was mindful of the people with whom she surrounded herself.
“You’re kind of forced into good habits and good people, everyone at this level is trying to be as elite as they can. I definitely still struggled a little bit in the first year or two, just trying to break some habits and grow up a bit,” she said.
“I had a few teammates at the time, particularly Jacqui Yorston - she helped kick me into gear a little bit because she’d been in the system for a while.
“It also helps a lot, Matilda [Scholz] obviously being my partner.
“She’s just - when she does something she gives it 100 per cent and she’s quite a stickler for the rules.
“So that pulled me into gear a lot and she’s someone who just wants the best and just wants to go out and play and train her hardest all year-round, so I think she’s really helped me in that sense as well.
“But I think just growing and learning from all my mistakes has really shaped me into who I am today.
“My family, and that includes my extended family, are so important to me. They’ve been my biggest support since starting my footy career. They travel so far to watch me play, and sometimes I can’t wrap my head around it – the effort they put in means so much, and I should tell them that more often. It sounds cliché, but I wouldn’t be where I am without them.”
Understated as ever, Dowrick credits the tap work talents of superstar ruck Scholz with her own elite clearance numbers this season.
“A lot of my clearance stuff has been better this year but I think I’ve got to give [Matilda] a bit of thanks because she’s leading hitouts and hitouts to advantage,” she said.
“So it makes my life a lot easier when she’s tapping it down my throat.
“It’s pretty cool being out there together, like if one of us is feeling down or not too into the game, we try our best to bring each other up and it probably helps that we’re both in the midfield together.”
Scholz may be leading both ruck metrics ahead of round 10, but Dowrick is leading the competition for clearances with 73, ahead of both Georgie Prespakis and Charlie Rowbottom.
While Scholz has become the face of the competition thanks to her eye-catching athleticism and outgoing personality, Dowrick is very happy to sit back and watch - and film Scholz’s TikTok content.
“I knew from the moment I met her [she would be something special],” Dowrick said.
“Before she blew up, she was always a big talk, even when she was coming in. She always wanted to be famous, and she’s got that now so I just love sitting back and watching her. We’re a bit like chalk and cheese, as they say.
“I’m very happy sitting behind the camera, I don’t mind [being the centre of attention when] playing footy but any other time I will happily take photos for her.”
Dowrick also credits Scholz with not only improving her training standards but helping her develop emotionally.
“I’m quite an anxious, reserved person. But I think as the years have gone on I’ve definitely come out of my shell,” Dowrick said.
“I think Matilda, because she’s so confident, that’s definitely helped me come out of my shell. And I admire that a lot about her.
“When we first started dating, we said if we had any issues outside we’d always leave it at the door once we stepped into the club.
“We can both get a bit - not emotional, but I think we can be a bit more snappy at each other on the field than we would to others. But we leave it for a second and then chat about it later.
“I’m pretty grateful to be able to do it, and that I experience this with her.”
The partnership also meant Dowrick had a built-in training partner over the off-season as she set to work improving her endurance, which became the foundation for her strong 2026 form.
“[My focus] was just to keep building the tank. I struggled to get down to defend over the last few years, but I think this year it’s improved quite a bit,” she said.
“[It was a lot of] running. I also tried to do quite a bit off-legs, like swimming. Swimming’s really good for fitness - I’m not the greatest swimmer, but I raced Matilda a few times and she’s got the body of a swimmer so she smoked me. She gave me a head start and then she just came flying, it was a 25m pool and she still just blitzed me.
“I just tried to get something different out of it, not just running on grass all the time. Keeping fit, keeping strong, but also trying not to burn myself out.
“Me and ‘Tilda’ went to Africa for a month at the start of the year. We have such a long off-season, so trying not to burn out but also trying not to lose that fitness, and keeping a good mindset also.”
With her beloved family back in WA, Dowrick has surrounded herself with another sort of chosen family in South Australia.
“Matilda, obviously, and Amelie Borg, one of our vice-captains, she’s very young but she sets the standards really high and she’s that person that no matter what’s going on outside of the club, you would never know about it because she’s always got a big smile on her dial,” Dowrick said of her biggest influences at the club.
“Justine Mules-Robinson, our captain - if I had to be remembered as a person, I would want to be remembered how people will remember her. She’s such a great human and she’s a leader, but not a ‘don’t do this, don’t do that’ leader, she’s just a good person and a fun human to be around.
“[Former captain, now Gold Coast women’s footy boss] Erin Phillips as well, she obviously sets the bar really bloody high, probably as high as you can go.
“[Port’s women’s operations manager] Rachel Sporn, you don’t realise you’re walking next to an Olympian everyday. She’s just the most gorgeous human ever.
“I think having people like that around without even knowing it, you just automatically become a better person.
“I’ve also got one of my best mates here as well in Adelaide, he moved over in my second year so it’s nice to be able to hang out and not talk footy.”
While it’s hard being so far away from family, Dowrick knows the geographical separation between her old life in WA and her new one in SA is crucial.
“My family are my number one supporters and they just want what’s best for me, which is pretty awesome,” she said.
“I try to get back home as much as possible, but I don’t go for too long.
“When I go home, I chill out and enjoy time with my family. But I don’t give myself too long because then I get stuck in that zone.
“Adelaide’s like my work, that’s where I lock in. I still have fun with the girls, but it’s a different feeling.
“My first few years, I was probably still a little bit immature, but we’ve got a good group of girls around us and we all push each other.
“Every year, you’re wanting to grow and get better and you learn more about yourself.
“Consistency was just something I really wanted to work on, just trying to put my best foot forward every week.
“I guess the secret is just finding out how to do that, how to enjoy it and have fun but still remember it’s a game but it is our job as well.”