Women’s Season Review – Co-captain Eliza Gelmi

Losing a grand final by a single point is something that Swan Districts Women’s co-captain Eliza Gelmi might never fully get over, but she couldn’t be prouder of the entire team for getting so close to that premiership.

Gelmi was one of a handful of players at Swan Districts still from the team that last made a WAFL Women’s grand final back in 2021 but for so many reasons the run to close the 2025 season was that much more memorable, and in the end heartbreaking.

Swan Districts might have still been a largely remarkably young playing group throughout 2025, but they came together in exciting fashion in the back end of the campaign including winning the last five games of the home and away season to lock away third position.

That secured a home first semi-final where they beat East Fremantle by a point at Steel Blue Oval to set up a preliminary final match up with Subiaco, with the Swans going on win that by two points.

That saw Swan Districts reach a first WAFL Women’s grand final since 2021 and then they almost pulled off what would have been a stunning premiership triumph only to fall one point short to Claremont who ended up claiming a third flag in four years.

While Gelmi certainly acknowledges how heartbreaking it is to lose a grand final by that one solitary point, she has made sure all her teammates recognise what an outstanding effort it was by everyone involved to be so close.

“I’ll be thinking about that game for a long time. Losing a grand final, especially by one point, is heartbreaking,” Gelmi said.

“I spoke to the girls after the game, it’s easy to let it consume you and replay every moment in your head, but we have to balance that by remembering and celebrating the incredible successes of this team.

“I’m so proud of every single player, and I hope everyone can take a step back and feel proud of what we’ve achieved this season, both as individuals and as a collective.”

The longer the 2025 season went on and not only did the wins start to pile up for Swan Districts, but what Gelmi noticed was just how strong the connection was with the entire playing group.

That started with new coach Jason Burton and flowed through Gelmi and her co-captain Demi Liddle along with strong leaders Emily McGuire, Taylah Edwards, Naomi Baker, Lauren Quaife and Emma Humphries, and emerging stars Carys D’Addario, Adi Griffith, Jaime Henry, Summer Ajduk, Bella Edgley and Summer Yarran.

The end result was winning seven straight games to reach the grand final and then to be one kick from a premiership.

“All year we kept building and we had plenty of honest chats as a group,” Gelmi said.

“I truly believe the biggest difference this season was the connection and trust within the team. That bond is what drove our growth and ultimately shone through in our performances.

“It didn’t matter who was on the field, every player contributed to something bigger, and it worked because every single player embraced the vision we had as a team.”

Given how young the Swan Districts playing group was for that run in 2025, there’s every reason to expect the majority of them will be back again in 2026 to try and go that one bit better aside from someone like D’Addario who is on track to become an AFLW star.

That has Gelmi especially excited for what’s to come and she already can’t wait to begin the work to get ready for the 2026 season.

“I’m incredibly excited for what’s to come. No doubt we’ll lose some special players to AFLW lists, like Carys,” Gelmi said.

“We’ll miss them, but we’ll also be their biggest supporters! The depth in our list is outstanding, and so many players have stepped up this year.

“Summer A and Grace H are perfect examples, they began the season in our Rogers side and finished it playing their first league grand final. That’s huge, and I’m sure many more from the younger group will follow their path.

“Being so close to a flag has only fuelled everyone’s determination, and we’ll be hitting the 2026 pre-season even hungrier.”

The 2025 season was the seventh that Gelmi has played in the WAFL Women’s competition with Swan Districts and while it might have ended in heartbreak, it will be one that will always be hard to top both on a personal and team front.

“I’ve said it before, but this has easily been one of my favourite years of footy and I’ve been playing for a long time!,” she said.

“There’s something truly special about this group, and I couldn’t imagine not being a part of it. My season had a small interruption with injury, but I was grateful to work my way back for finals, which made it all the more exciting.

“Having the chance to co-captain this side has been such a privilege, and I couldn’t have asked for a more inspiring team to lead.”