Opportunity knocks for Coffey

By Matt Fotia 

Wiradjuri woman Gabby Coffey could be one of the best leaders in netball’s next generation. 

She has experience balancing full-time work with full-time training, has lived away from home since her teens, and been a strong mentor in the community. 

And the talented defender is still yet to turn 25. 

Coffey was made aware of her Indigenous heritage at an early age but didn’t fully absorb it all until the latter stage of primary school. 

“I haven’t grown up with it my whole life, but we knew pretty early on which was pretty cool,” Coffey explained. 

“We didn’t really dive into much until I was about 10. 

“My older brother and I were keen to learn more, and mum gave us some of the connections she had.” 

Coffey and her family took a trip to Sydney to learn more. 

She discovered her ancestor was Diana Mudgee, who was famous for raising eight children almost single handedly and gaining ownership of over 500 acres of land in 1800s. 

Coffey said her research changed her internal perspective. 

“As time went on, I definitely changed the way I looked at myself,” Coffey stated. 

“Coming from Alice Springs, where they’re so traditional and the communities are very different, the cultural learnings are so different, you did sometimes get a little bit of imposter syndrome, because we are of lighter skin. 

“But it was about trying to learn and handle it without stigma.” 

This has not been a struggle for Coffey’s younger sister, who she wilfully admits she is in awe of. 

“My little sister is the best. Her whole life she has always been involved with anything to do with Indigenous activities or events or sporting teams, which has been so cool to see,” Coffey said. 

“I look at her and go... she’s not fussed about how we look." 

Coffey is overtly humble. 

Having moved to Melbourne on a scholarship with Caulfield Grammar as a teen, Coffey has been an active member in the Indigenous community, working with the Killara Foundation as a mentor in previous years. 

The foundation focuses on supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by providing pathways to employment, cultural connection and mentoring, and support in navigating the housing and labour markets. 

“It was a partnership with Officeworks. We focused on getting young Indigenous girls to start working at Officeworks and help with any barriers they had, like getting to work and so on,” Coffey explained. 

“I remember when I got asked to do it, I was like ‘I don’t think I’m qualified to do this’, but being a mentor is about listening and having your heart in the right place. 

“I hope I helped them in some way, but I also learned a lot about myself and the girls.” 

The 24-year-old is always learning, and 2024 has been no exception. 

A new full-time role at the AFL has been juggled delicately with Melbourne Vixens training partner duties and her Victorian Netball League commitments with the Melbourne University Lightning, where she earned a team of the year selection. 

“This year I started a new role at work, so it was one of the more challenging years to balance everything and I could not have done it without both my mentors at the AFL and the coaches at the Vixens,” Coffey said. 

“Being a training partner is challenging because there isn’t much movement (selection wise). 

“But it was awesome to have the opportunity to be in the side, start training full time and see what that was like.” 

Coffey is one of few First Nations athletes in the SSN system, but she is steadfast in the belief there is plenty of Indigenous netballers up to the level and has expressed an interest in helping to develop their pathway to the top. 

“When you come from somewhere like Alice Springs, you grow up and you play in the leagues there, you see how talented the girls are from there, and you wonder why no one is on the big stage,” Coffey stated. 

“I want to be an advocate and hopefully build something in the future, where there is a bit more interaction between the big teams like the Vixens. 

“It would be cool to do some things like the footy do and play in Alice Springs. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an SSN round, but why not have pre-season rounds there?.” 

“Maybe after I retire from netball, I can fully invest myself in it, because I’m so passionate about getting these girls to have a look outside, because there is a pathway for footy, but not for netball.” 

Retirement is a long way off though, and a leadership opportunity presents this month, with Coffey part of the First Nations Black Swans side who will take on the upcoming Australian National Championships. 

Coffey jumped at the chance to join the squad, after missing out earlier in the year due to her Vixens commitments and is looking forward to developing her connection with the group. 

“100% I wanted to play,” Coffey said. 

“Trying to build my leadership capabilities is a massive goal for me, both on and off the court. 

“It’s a different competition but being able to be a leader in the team will be big for me, to see how I can build connections off court.”