All Adele Van den Hoek pictures: Ann Lord / @annlordphotography
All Lachlan Johannesen pictures: Michael Lovell / @desolveimages

WHEN Adele Van den Hoek lines up to play wheelchair football, she channels some of her favourite AFL players.

"When I play defence, I want to be like Brad and Chris (Scott) – the 'Bash Brothers'," Van den Hoek said.

"But in QClash this year, I was playing forward. So I was like, 'OK, I'm going to channel some Jono Brown and kick some goals. He's a massive, massive inspiration for me."

There's no questioning who Van den Hoek grew up supporting.

The childhood Brisbane fan grew up around the club's three-peat premiership dynasty in 2001, 2002 and 2003 and fell in love with the game.

"I was always interested in footy as a kid," Van den Hoek said.

"But at that time in Queensland, women didn't play football, they didn't do Auskick.

"I did goal umpire on a Friday afternoon during primary school, and that was the extent that they would let you participate."

Van den Hoek's sister-in-law, Joanna Argaet, introduced her to wheelchair football.

Argaet captained Hawthorn to its premiership in 2023.

"It was actually my sister-in-law Jo, that started playing wheelchair footy and she captained Hawthorn to their premiership, so there's a bit of a legacy there," Van den Hoek said.

"So when we first heard that there was a wheelchair football league starting in Queensland, she said we should go and support it and help it grow, so that's how Dan (Van den Hoek's husband) and I got into the Queensland league."

Van den Hoek and her husband Dan both represented Queensland at the Toyota AFL Open earlier this month.

Wheelchair football is a mixed sport, meaning men and women play on the same team.

"We work really well in our relationship together, and we work really well on the football field together," Van den Hoek said.

"He plays centre, so he's the one delivering the ball down forward, and sometimes it's that kind of unspoken connection that makes things work.

"Like, he gives the look to me and I'm like, 'OK, I'm going this way.'"

Three of Queensland's 10 players are women.

Growing female participation in the sport is something that Van den Hoek is passionate about.

"I think the more women that play football, the better environment it will be, because I think the women make it a better place to play," Van den Hoek said.

"It's always challenging because it's a mixed sport, so there has to be that acceptance from male players, and the male players need to make the women feel welcome. Sometimes that female support isn't enough.

"And it's a non-contact sport, but we all know it's got some big hits, so sometimes that can be off-putting. But the women that we've got in the Queensland team, Kerry and Ash, they play just as hard."

Van den Hoek is an absolute competitor when it comes to game time, with white-line fever well and truly running through her veins.

"As soon as you're in the chair and locked in, it's just footy. It's a great game," said Van den Hoek.

"It's always great kicking a goal for your team and the team getting around you. But I also like to play defence at club level and it's the thrill of the chase and trying to hunt someone down.

"I think that competitiveness has always been in me. I think some people have that competitive nature and once they're dialled in, they just don't let up.

"That's me. I don't care who you are, I just want to beat you."

Inclusion footballer Lachlan Johannesen has the same competitive nature when he enters the field.

The talented young athlete represents Tasmania in both cricket and football and this year was his second appearance representing his state at the Toyota AFL Open.

Tasmania has won the past two National Inclusion Championships and the side was hoping to complete a three-peat of its own in 2026.

But it wasn't to be, with the Devils suffering a shock 13-point loss to Victoria in the semi-final.

After the game, the 22-year-old had to spend some time alone to deal with the disappointment.

"I had to cool off a bit, so I was already inside after the siren. I was just a bit frustrated at myself, and it hurts to lose, but we'll come back stronger next year and take the cup back again, hopefully," Johannesen said.

This year's championships carried extra significance for Johannesen, who was named as his side's vice-captain.

Earlier in the year, he lost his grandmother, Susan, who was a big supporter of his football and cricket.

"I lost my gran this year. It's probably been the hardest on me and Blake (Johannesen's twin brother). We were really close to her," Johannesen said.

"She was our biggest supporter, always. Even if we had a terrible game, she thought we were the best players on the ground.

"She'd be cheering us on really loudly, and I'd be like, 'Calm down, gran.'

"It made playing this year harder but I also wanted to make her proud. That was probably one of the hardest things this year. I even had her name on my boots."

Representing his state is not something Johannesen takes lightly.

"One of our mottos this week was that you have the number on your back, but once we cross that line we're representing everyone back home and the map on our jersey," Johannesen said.

"We trained for five or six months out from the tournament and we've come such a long way to get to where we are now.

"It means a lot to come over and represent the map and it's great to have fun with my mates as well."

Despite the disappointment of falling short of a third straight title, Johannesen and his Tasmanian teammates will be determined to turn that heartbreak into motivation as they chase redemption next year.