Angela Foley is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Adelaide Football Club in the AFL Women's. A defender, tall, Foley plays primarily on the half-back line with the ability to push into the midfield. After spending her early life in country Victoria, in which she won a premiership and best and fairest with Bendigo Thunder, she moved to Darwin in 2013. Her career in the Northern Territory saw her win three consecutive premierships, two consecutive league best and fairests, a grand finalbest on ground medal, and interstate representation. Her performances in representative matches in 2016 saw her recruited by the Adelaide Football Club as a priority selection for the inaugural AFLW season. Her first season in the AFLW saw her win a premiership, and in her two seasons in the AFLW, she has been named in the top five of Adelaide's best and fairest in both seasons and the initial forty player All-Australian squad.
Early life
Foley was born and raised in Shepparton, Victoria. She played with the Bendigo Thunder in the Victorian Women's Football League north west conference, winning the club's inaugural best and fairest medal in 2011 and a premiership in the 2012 season. She moved to Darwin at the start of 2013 and joined the Waratah Football Club in the Northern Territory Football League, winning the premiership in her first season with the club and the Brenda Williams Medal as the best on ground in the grand final. She won a further two premierships with the club in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons and was also announced the league's most valuable women's player for both seasons. Foley represented the Northern Territory for the first time in 2015 when the territory faced South Australia in May. She was selected as part of the inaugural NT Thunder talent program in 2016 and represented the territory in April against Victoria and Tasmania. She was selected by the Melbourne Football Club for an exhibition match against the Brisbane Lions at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in May, with the NT News reporter, Marc McGowan, stating her two matches against Victoria and Tasmania were key to her selection for Melbourne. In June, she represented the Northern Territory against South Australia in a curtain raiser before the AFL versus match at Adelaide Oval. Her representative performances throughout the year saw her selected for Melbourne in the all-stars match against the in September at Whitten Oval, in which she kicked a goal and was named one of Melbourne's best players. Foley also played two seasons in the premier netball competition in Darwin for the Hoggies, but elected to give up the sport from the 2016 season to focus on her football career.
AFLW career
Foley was recruited by the Adelaide Football Club as a priority selection in August 2016. She was named as Adelaide's inaugural co-vice-captain alongside Sally Riley in January 2017. She made her debut in the thirty-six point win against at Thebarton Oval in the opening round of the 2017 season. Her performance in the three point win against at Thebarton Oval in round three drew praise due to her limiting the impact of the league leading goalkicker, Darcy Vescio–keeping her to zero disposals after halftime–with the Australian Associated Press reporter, Ben McKay, writing she effectively shut down the dangerous forward. After the club finished second on the ladder, she was a part of Adelaide's premiership side after the club defeated by six points at Metricon Stadium in the AFL Women's Grand Final. She played every match in her debut season to finish with eight matches and finished equal fifth in the Adelaide Club Champion award with 81 votes alongside Rhiannon Metcalfe. After re-signing with Adelaide for the 2018 season, she was named one of Adelaide's vice-captains for the second consecutive season with Sally Riley. She played the opening two matches of the season before she was suspended for one match due to kneeing Daisy Pearce in the thirty-two point loss to at Casey Fields. In her return match, the draw against at Blacktown International Sportspark in round four, she recorded twenty disposals, six marks and three tackles, with Shepparton News journalist, Tyler Maher, writing she returned from suspension with a bang. In the four point win against at TIO Stadium in round six, she was the acting captain for the match and despite regular captains Erin Phillips and Chelsea Randall playing in the match, the club elected to give Foley the captaincy in front of her home crowd. For her performance in the match, in which she recorded fifteen disposals, six tackles and four marks, she was named in AFL Media's team of the week and received two league best and fairest votes, meaning she was adjudged the second best player on the ground by the field umpires. Her performances throughout the season saw her named in the initial forty player All-Australian squad and she finished fourth in Adelaide's Club Champion award with 106 votes.
