Sydney was the next evolution for Chloe Molloy.
That’s the message from the now former Collingwood star after she officially joined the Swans earlier this week.
Molloy joined Sydney as a ‘priority signing period’ player after the AFLW brought in rules to essentially allow expansion clubs to raid their rivals for stars.
The 24-year-old was a best and fairest winner and dual All-Australian in her 47 games at the Magpies but elected to head north in a move that sent shockwaves through the competition.
Despite the quick nature of the deal – the Swans announced Molloy had signalled an intent to join the club just seven days before she did – the utility said it had been a long time coming.
Molloy joined SEN’s The Run Home to shed some light on how she came to depart the Magpies.
“It’s probably come as a shock to a few people but it's been brewing for a little bit. The Swans last season, it was well documented that they flung at a few big players and one of them was me,” she began.
“I didn’t entertain it as I had a year left on my contract, this year I did a bit of self-reflection on me more as a person… I just thought that in life I want to challenge myself with things
“It’s not something ever thought I’d be considering leaving Collingwood, but it kind of brewed up, I got talking to Scotty (Gowans, coach), had some more conversations, met a few key internal people and they show you the picture of where you’ll sit on the team and it progressed from there.
“I let Collingwood know from an appropriate time so they could come back and try to convince me to stay, it’s been happening behind the scenes for a while now.”
However, she stressed it was through no fault of Collingwood.
The Magpies finished season seven in sixth before being knocked out in the second week of finals. On the flip side, Sydney finished winless from its 10 games.
“Honestly, it was the hardest decision I’ve had to make in my career this far. Some of the conversations I had to have and (how I) looked people in the eye that I have built so much with (to) tell them that I am leaving, because the hardest thing was nothing was wrong,” Molloy explained.
“I was not unhappy, there were things within the four walls that you want to get better at, we weren’t perfect, but I was certainly not unhappy.
“If anything, I was at my pinnacle in life. I had a good job, footy was going really well, I was due for surgery on my back… it (interest from Sydney) kind of took me by surprise, I weighed up the options and I just thought that Sydney was the next evolution for Chloe Molloy.”
Molloy has joined Sydney on a four-year deal with an option for a fifth, stating wants to commit long-term and show the Swans she’s committed to the club.
The AFLW sign and trade period runs from March 10-20 before season eight – the Swans’ second in the competition – gets underway later this year.