Mia-Rae Clifford

Mia-Rae Clifford
Clifford in July 2019
Personal information
Date of birth	(1986-08-10) 10 August 1986 (age 38)
Original team(s)	St Kilda Sharks (VFL Women's)
Draft	No. 89, 2016 AFL Women's draft
Debut	Round 1, 2017, Melbourne vs. Brisbane, at Casey Fields
Height	170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s)	Defender
Playing career^1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2017	Melbourne	07 (0)
2019	Geelong	08 (6)
2020	Fremantle	03 (2)
Total		18 (8)
^1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2020 season.
Career highlights
Geelong leading goalkicker: 2019
Source: AustralianFootball.com

Mia-Rae Clifford (born 10 August 1986) is an Australian rules footballer and rugby union player. She played for Melbourne, Geelong, and Fremantle in the AFL Women's competition. She currently plays for the Melbourne Rebels in the Super W competition.

Australian football career

AFLW

Melbourne

Clifford was drafted by Melbourne with their twelfth selection and eighty-ninth overall in the 2016 AFL Women's draft.^[1] She made her debut in the fifteen point loss to Brisbane at Casey Fields in the opening round of the 2017 season.^[2] She played every match in her debut season to finish with seven games.^[3] She was not retained on Melbourne's list at the end of the season and was subsequently delisted in May 2017.^[4]

Geelong

In August 2018, Clifford joined AFLW expansion club, Geelong.^[5] In April 2019, Clifford was delisted by Geelong.^[6]

Fremantle

In April 2019, Clifford was signed as a delisted free agent by Fremantle.^[7] In August 2020, she was delisted by Fremantle.^[8]

VFLW

Essendon

In November 2020, Clifford was signed by Essendon Football Club as a member of their women's VFLW team. Clifford was named as the leading goal kicker for the 2021 season. At the beginning of the 2022 season, Clifford was promoted to the role of Co-Captain alongside Georgia Nanscawen. The pair went on to lead the team, alongside Head Coach Brendan Major, to an undefeated season, finishing as Major Premiers in the 2022 Rebel VFLW Grand Final at Port Melbourne ETU Stadium in July 2022.^[9]

Rugby career

Clifford joined the Melbourne Rebels for the 2023 Super W season.^[10][11]

Personal life

As of 2017^[update], Clifford was engaged to Collingwood's Penny Cula-Reid. The pair have been referred to as the first openly gay couple in the league.^[12]

References

1. Burgan, Matt (12 October 2016). "No.89: Mia-Rae Clifford". MelbourneFC.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
2. Australian Associated Press (3 February 2017). "AFLW: All the round one teams". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
3. "Mia-Rae Clifford". AustralianFootball.com. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
4. Burgan, Matt; Lewis, Georgina (26 May 2017). "List changes made to Women's squad". MelbourneFC.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
5. "AFLW Trio Sign". 28 August 2018.
6. Oates, Stacey (26 April 2019). "AFLW Cats re-sign 24". Geelong. Telstra Media.
7. "AFLW list continues to build: Clifford signs". Fremantle. Telstra Media. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
8. "AFLW: Undefeated list commits for 2021". Fremantle FC. Telstra Media. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
9. "Bombers fly to VFLW premiership". 3 July 2022.
10. "Brumbies break new ground in Fiji, Force to be reckoned with as Super W season kicks off". The Roar. 20 March 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
11. "Cross-Coding Clifford set to ignite the Super W stage". melbournerebels.rugby. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
12. "First openly gay AFL player couple: "We're proud, and proud of each other"". The Age. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.

External links

• Media related to Mia-Rae Clifford at Wikimedia Commons
• Mia-Rae Clifford's profile on the official website of the Fremantle Football Club
• Mia-Rae Clifford at AustralianFootball.com