Team of the Decade: Naomi Eaton

Our next selection for the Team of the Decade is Naomi ‘Nomes’ Eaton.

Debuting in 2015, Naomi’s obvious technical ability and work ethic rapidly earnt her a spot in the Senior Women’s team during the 2015 and 2018 seasons. She was a routine choice for the starting 11 of the Senior Women’s team, including for the 2015 Grand Final win.

After years of playing in various representative teams across the state, Naomi’s athleticism, intelligence, driven mindset and refined skill set makes her an incredibly versatile player. She quickly proved herself equally comfortable in attack and defence; an asset that any coach or player dreams of in a teammate. Her class as a footballer easily matched it with the best in the league, and often those unfortunate enough to oppose her were played off the field for large portions of the game. Naturally, it was not long before it was realised that Naomi was an absolute force to be reckoned with on the left wing. Her speed, skill and dogged determination often left both teams watching as she single-handedly ran the ball the whole way up the line to score.

Despite her incredible natural athletic ability and refined skill set, Naomi’s greatest asset was without a doubt her tenacity and huge workload. Naomi’s game takes no prisoners; she goes in hard and leaves nothing in the bank. It wasn’t uncommon to see her opponent’s position subbed several times throughout the match to keep up with her work rate down the wing. Equally, it wasn’t uncommon to see the coach strategically placing her in the box for a corner or free-kick to snag a goal off a header or volley, which she often did.

Naomi’s inclusion is a credit to her commitment to the team and the sport for the years that she played with us at MUSC. She is a delight to play and train with, and without doubt one that you would want on your team.

Congratulations Nomes for your selection into the Team of the Decade!