Michelle Cosier was always known for her aggression on the basketball court and now she's found a sport where she can release it unchecked.
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Having retired from WNBL over a year ago, the former Canberra Capitals guard is playing for the Gungahlin Jets in the Canberra Women's AFL, who moved to the top of the ladder on Thursday night with a win over the previously-undefeated Queanbeyan Tigers.
"I just loved it straight away – it's something I've always wanted to do, but never got around to doing it," Cosier said. "Playing basketball at the top level ... in our contract it was hard to do things that would put ourselves at [risk of] harm."
Off-season injury is something 34-year-old Cosier is familiar with; she played netball with the Canberra Darters in 2013 while off contract with the Capitals and injured her ankle, requiring surgery.
No longer playing basketball, she's been free to pursue football, a sport she's never played before, despite learning the skills while growing up in the Gippsland region of Victoria, and is "loving" playing a contact sport.
"It's good to be able to get out there and not actually get fouls called against you!
"Knowing the aggression that I have on the basketball court that I've had to tame sometimes on the court – I can actually get out there, and my teammates just love it. I just get out there and go for it."
Cosier is still heavily involved in basketball – she works full time for Basketball ACT, looking after the referees and officials, and has a goal to referee in the WNBL – so adapting to the new sport is taking a little time.
"My habit is getting the ball and I think it's round ... [I was] bouncing it straight away and they were like 'no you can run, you can run' – so I just ran and I kept running until they called 'travel' on me on the weekend!"
Her adaption from basketball to football rules and lingo may have some way to go, but after just two games she was nominated to trial for the ACT representative side.
The mum of two says she "will see how far I can go in AFL", and at 178 centimetres tall, is a decent height for the centre-half forward position she's been playing in with the Jets.
"There's very similar traits between football and basketball, so it's more the tactics stuff I'm picking up along the way, a lot of it's much the same – if you can kick the ball and run you'll be fine."
AFL CANBERRA
Saturday: Women: ANU v ADFA at ANU South Oval, 10am; Tuggeranong v Ainslie at Greenway Oval, 4.45pm. Men: Ainslie v Eastlake at Alan Ray Oval, 2.15pm; Tuggeranong v Queanbeyan at Greenway Oval, 2.15pm; Belconnen v Gungahlin at The Nest, 2.15pm.
