Emma O’Driscoll determined to do it for Aiden as Fremantle AFLW star admits guilt over brother’s dashed dream

Fremantle AFLW star Emma O’Driscoll admits she sometimes feels guilty about playing football knowing her younger brother Aiden can no longer do the same and says she will be thinking of him every time she runs out for the rest of her career. At just 18, Aiden was forced into medical retirement earlier this year, only months after being drafted by the Western Bulldogs, and before even playing a single game. The younger brother of Fremantle pair Emma and Nathan sustained a significant head injury during pre-season training and was later given the heart-breaking news by the independent medical concussion panel that his career was over before it had begun. An AFLW gun for the Dockers, O’Driscoll didn’t start playing football until after she had left school. But her two brothers had grown up dreaming of playing the sport. And that makes the fact Aiden will never reach the highest level even harder to take. “It’s really hard,” O’Driscoll told The West Australian in an emotional interview. “I say football was never my dream and I never grew up thinking that I was going to be an AFL footballer but I watched my brothers go through the ranks and it was going to be their job. “So seeing them want to grow up and have that as their dream and then get it taken away from you without getting an opportunity to play I suppose is something that I’ve struggled to deal with, and I think with a bit of guilt knowing that actually I’m able to still play and he’s not.” “But I think on the flip of that Aiden has handled the situation so incredibly well, his maturity in the last few years has just grown through the roof, from going to boarding school to then moving across the country and then being told this news he’s handled it incredibly well and I’m so so proud of him.” It has compounded a difficult year for the family, with Nathan also sidelined by a “really random” knee injury that left him hospital-bound for three weeks. “Both of my brothers have had shocking years to be honest, Nathan’s coming back from a really random knee injury — which was nothing hectic structurally — but was in hospital for about a three week period which was pretty scary dealing with an infection in his leg,” O’Driscoll said. “So I think that on top of that Aiden finding out the news that he would never play contact sport again has definitely taken a toll on, not only myself, but Mum and Dad and all of us really.” As Fremantle’s AFLW pre-season ramps up, Emma revealed how she plans to honour her younger brother. “Every single rep that I don’t want to complete in the gym is going to be for Aiden because we know that he can’t do that anymore. I think it is a bit inspiring and empowering in a way, as much as it sucks for Aiden, we’re going to be going out there knowing that we are taking every opportunity that we get.” Aiden has been employed by the Bulldogs in their community department, working with schools in the area — at least for the next couple of years. “It’s actually really exciting, the Bulldogs have been so amazing with him and they’ve absolutely loved the way he’s gone about it,” Emma said. “I just find that amazing from a sister’s perspective, but also my parents’ perspective, knowing that he’s actually set up to continue coaching, continue working in the football world.” O’Driscoll said her brother’s quality of life was now their highest priority and that scans and monitoring of his brain would be ongoing.