Perth has always been — and always will be — an AFL town.
Tennis only reigns four times a year, swimming and athletics every four years.
The time difference makes it difficult for a fair-weather fan like me to follow the ball sports that are more popular overseas.
Even Sam Kerr says AFL was her first love.
It was a family thing.
But she outgrew brother Daniel’s shadow by conquering the round ball and, with it, the world.
She might even convince me to finally learn the offside rule.
This week Sam Kerr’s face will loom large as the FIFA Women’s World Cup takes over Australia.
With or without that trophy, the Matildas will be back to perform in Perth in November, in front of thousands of young fans dreaming of their own chance to shine on sporting’s biggest stage.
Sam Kerr’s humility is what makes her a great role model for daughters and sons.
She claims she was “crap” when she first attempted soccer.
She only scored three goals in her first season, her team didn’t win a single game.
Fast forward and she’s now the first female Australian footballer to earn more than a million dollars.
It’s a milestone earned through hard work, grit and a refusal to be kept down.
Qualities are shared by other WA women who have inspired me.
Edith Cowan, who defended unmarried mothers, fought for girls to be educated and women independent after her own mother died in childbirth and her father was executed.
In 1921, she became the first woman elected to an Australian parliament.
Sue Gordon was a victim of the Stolen Generations but went on to give other families hope.
The first Aboriginal magistrate of a WA court, she chaired the 1997 inquiry that exposed systemic neglect of Indigenous children.
Catherine Hughes channelled the grief over her baby boy Riley’s death into purpose, fighting for provision and education of vaccines to save others from whooping cough.
Even in the aftermath of devastating loss and attacks from online sceptics, she greeted media with a smile and determination to make a difference.
Susannah Carr has been a trailblazer on screen but is also the kindest woman I know in television.
Viewers are right to trust her.
Dr Fiona Wood was recognised for her cutting-edge treatment of burns after the Bali bombings.
But it was her boundless energy as a mum of six that struck me in interviews.
This brings me to my mum, a constant source of inspiration who taught me to aim high and fight for anyone left behind.
She still puts everyone else first even when she’s doing it tough.
They’re six shining examples. Sam Kerr makes seven.
She’s a big reason why more girls are now winning races, taking marks in AFLW and making their mark on both the back and front pages of the papers.
If you pay attention, there are women all around us worth looking up to.