A hard road, as many amateur players could tell you, but it was worth it to play in an AFL Sydney women’s division one premiership.

Then the real heartache came. 

Just before Christmas, Moane’s mother Vicki was diagnosed with breast cancer and life changed forever.

As Vicki’s hair was falling out due to the treatment, Moane came back from a pre-booked overseas holiday determined to make a difference and support her mother as best she could.

So, moments after Saints recorded a 51-point victory over the East Coast Eagles at North Dalton Park, Moane and club vice-president Ellen Crewdson shaved off their hair, as part of a $10,000 fundraising push. 

The money will be split between breast cancer research and support group Illawarra Cancer Carers.

“Mum’s brave,” Moane said. 

“She’s been a massive trooper from the start, it was a bit of a whirlwind of surgery and treatment, it all happens really fast.

“But she’s be able to handle whatever she’s had to do, when she started losing her hair she was like, ‘get it off’.

“She’s been awesome.”

Vicki is still undergoing chemotherapy and will require radiation treatment as well, but is hopeful of being in remission by the end of the year. She took over the clippers from Tarrawanna hairdresser Marnie Switzer to complete Casey’s new look.

Moane was on the sideline on Saturday watching the Saints due to some bone bruising around last year’s injury.  A first quarter surge set to the platform for an 11.13 (79) to 4.4 (28) victory, with Rylee McGartland and Eleri Morris booting five each. The Saints’ AFL South Coast team has won two of their three games played, the first time they’ve had two teams since being established in 2010. 

“It’s been great having the two grades,” Moane said. 

“You’re never quite sure how it’s going to go, especially in a new competition against the South Coast clubs. But if anything it’s brought the girls closer together.”

It was one-sided elsewhere in the inaugural AFL South Coast Women’s competition, with Northern Districts beating Dapto by 74 points, Wollongong Lions overpowering cross-town rivals the Bulldogs by 63 points and Bomaderry earning an 80-point win against Nowra-Albatross.

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