Player Inductee
Clarence/East Fremantle/Brisbane Lions/Coorparoo/Essendon, Forward/Midfielder, 2009-2023
TASMANIAN CAREER (2009-2014)
54 games, 161 goals for Clarence, 2009-2014 (Co-Captain, 2012-2013)
Clarence TSLW premierships 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013
TSLW Grand Final Best on Ground, 2011
TSLW Best & Fairest 2011, 2012, 2013
Clarence Best & Fairest 2009, 2011, 2012
TSLW Leading Goalkicker 2011, 2012, 2013
Clarence Leading Goalkicker 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
TSLW Team of the Year, 2012 (Captain), 2013 (Vice-Captain)
Six state games for Tasmania 2011, 2013
Tasmanian MVP, 2011 National Women’s Championships (Equal)
MAINLAND STATE LEAGUE CAREER (2014-2022)
42 games, 59 goals for East Fremantle (WAWFL), 2014-2016
53 games, 97 goals for Coorparoo (QAFLW), 2017-2022
Coorparoo QAFLW premiership, 2019
Coorparoo Best & Fairest, 2019
East Fremantle Leading Goalkicker 2014, 2015, 2016
Coorparoo Leading Goalkicker, 2017
QAFLW Team of the Year 2017, 2018, 2019
Two state games for Western Australia 2015 (vs Victoria), 2016 (vs Western Bulldogs)
AFLW CAREER (2017-2023)
38 games, 37 goals for Brisbane Lions (AFLW), 2017-2022
17 games, 5 goals for Essendon (AFLW), 2022-2023
Brisbane Lions AFLW premiership, 2021
AFLW Leading Goalkicker, 2018 (Season End)
Brisbane Lions Leading Goalkicker 2018, 2019
AFLW All-Australian, 2018
One AFLW State of Origin game for ‘The Allies’, 2017
Three AFL Women’s Exhibition Series games for Western Bulldogs (2015 x2) & Fremantle (2016)
COACHING CAREER (2024-Present)
Tasmania Devils U16/U18 Girls Coach, 2024-Present
Allies Assistant Coach, AFL U18 Girls Championships, 2024
The inexorable rise of women’s football has seen numerous trailblazers across Australia lay the foundation for untold generations to come. Of the Tasmanian contingent, none have accumulated the weight of accolades or reached the heights of the player known as ‘Woosh’.
Born in Hobart in 1992, Jessica Wuetschner was a prodigious sporting talent in her youth, representing Tasmania in junior hockey and senior cricket whilst still a teenager. Her esteemed football career commenced as a 17-year-old with Clarence in 2009, playing in matches against Launceston and East Devonport during the earliest days of organised women’s football in Tasmania. As the fledgling competition grew in stature so did Wuetschner, and by the time it had found its footing the brilliant forward/midfielder was an established star. From 2009 to 2013 Wuetschner dominated Tasmanian women’s football, claiming three consecutive TSLW Best & Fairest and leading goalkicker awards, four premierships (including a Best on Ground in 2011) and two Team of the Year selections, both with leadership positions. She also gained her first experience of representative football, playing six games for Tasmania at the 2011 and 2013 National Women’s Championships, sharing the 2011 MVP award with fellow Clarence young gun Maddy Smith.
Keen to test herself at a higher level, Wuetschner relocated to WA in 2014 to play with East Fremantle. She continued to excel during her time with the Sharks, claiming the club’s goalkicking award three times and representing WA in a famous win over Victoria. This period also saw Wuetschner’s first foray into coaching in – of all places – the United States, lending her experience to the Boston Lady Demons at the 2015 USAFL National Championships. Back at home her exploits attracted the attention of the embryonic AFLW, selected to play in three Exhibition Series matches across 2015-16. When the AFLW competition proper commenced in 2017, the Brisbane Lions liked what they saw, selecting Wuetschner with Pick 34. It was an inspired choice, with Wuetschner quickly establishing herself as one of the competition’s earliest stars, topping the Lions goalkicking twice and gaining All-Australian selection in 2018, plus earning extended squad recognition in 2017 and 2019. She was also one of her side’s best in their unsuccessful 2017 and 2018 Grand Final appearances, booting multiple goals in each decider; as of 2024, Wuetschner remains the only player to kick 2+ goals in multiple AFLW Grand Finals. During the off-seasons Wuetschner plied her trade with Coorparoo in the QAFLW, winning a Best & Fairest in the club’s 2019 premiership season and selection in three consecutive QAFLW Teams of the Year.
In early 2020, Wuetschner was indirectly struck by lightning while working at the Port of Brisbane. Her recovery and return to the field were widely applauded, however the incident clearly took its toll, Wuetschner herself being quite open regarding the mental health challenges she endured in the aftermath. Nevertheless, her incredible resilience was justly rewarded in 2021 when, at long last, she claimed that elusive AFLW premiership medal as the Lions defeated Adelaide. As usual, the biggest stage brought out Wuetschner’s best, nailing a trademark left-foot snap out of traffic just before half time before a long-range bomb from outside 50 in the third term helped blow the game out of the Crows’ reach. After six seasons and 38 games, Wuetschner departed Brisbane in 2022 and signed with expansion side Essendon, making history as the Bombers’ first AFLW goalkicker in their inaugural match against Hawthorn. She added 17 games to her AFLW tally – becoming the first Tasmanian to reach the 50 AFLW-game milestone – before announcing her retirement at the end of the 2023 season. Wuetschner bowed out of football with a final tally of 359 goals from 204 senior club games across 15 years, and one of the most decorated footballing resumes of any Tasmanian – male or female – this century.
Post-retirement, Wuetschner looked set to take up an assistant coaching role with Essendon’s VFLW side, however an opportunity presented itself to help develop the next generation of Tasmanian stars, returning home as senior coach of the Tasmania Devils U18 and U16 Girls teams. She would lead the U18s to a second-place finish in her first season at the helm, as well as adding her experience at national level to the AFLW Academy and Allies programs.
