Collingwood's Bri Davey and Essendon's Sophie Alexander. Pictures: AFL Photos COLLINGWOOD captain Bri Davey and Essendon spearhead Sophie Alexander grew up going to Anzac Day matches as fans. Now AFLW players for their childhood clubs, the significance of the occasion isn't lost on them. The annual clash between Essendon and Collingwood is celebrating its 30th edition this year, with Davey also 30 and Alexander turning 32 in 2025. "I was a massive footy fan as a kid. Initially I was Carlton, but Dad got me across to Collingwood from about five years old," Davey said. "Leon Davis was one of my favourites, he was just so nippy and quick and skilful, and would make anything happen around goal. I loved Nathan Buckley, he was just so strong and consistent. Bri Davey and her parents upon Davey receiving her first Collingwood VFLW jumper. Picture: Instagram "I loved the Anzac Day game that he would always take me to. I'd go to that every year, pretty much. The minute of silence is something that stands out for most people, but to go from a crowd that's super rowdy and there's tens of thousands of people, to all of a sudden pin-drop silence, it really sticks out for me." For Alexander, the annual trip to the Anzac Day match was a family tradition, but the journey was a little longer than Davey's from neighbouring Port Melbourne. "I grew up in a split family – Dad and my sisters are Collingwood, and Mum and I are Bombers. We'd go to all the Anzac games when we were younger, it was around the 2000s when we had all that success, it was the glory days. I'd pretend to be Matty Lloyd in the backyard," Alexander said. "We were based in Horsham at the time (300km north-west of Melbourne), and Dad used to drive us all down – he'd love driving, and the three of us sisters would be fighting in the back. A young Sophie Alexander at the MCG for the annual Anzac Day clash between Essendon and Collingwood. Picture: Supplied by Sophie Alexander "We'd make a whole day of it. We'd go down and watch the parade. I don't remember the games themselves, but there was one when I was seven or eight, so around 2000, and my sisters and Dad were pressuring me to barrack for Collingwood. I said I'd barrack for the winning team, and we won." The concept of Anzac Day and the history surrounding Australia's involvement in conflict can be a difficult concept for younger kids to grasp, but both players said the game itself helped bring a distant issue a little closer to home. "Footy is very powerful, and sport in general is very powerful. It can help bring exposure to different things, and bring it to the forefront," Davey said. "I think it definitely helped me understand it a bit more, and the significance – the minute of silence and the respect people pay, having the servicemen and women marching around the oval and physically seeing them there. Brianna Davey during the round two AFLW match between Collingwood and Hawthorn at Victoria Park, September 7, 2024. Picture: Getty Images "It helped it be a bit more of a talking point, especially as a kid trying to understand what it was and what it was about." Both players now have a different type of appreciation for the day itself, given their involvement at their respective clubs. "You go from watching it as a spectator to being a player – who isn't obviously playing – but you're much closer to it, and it brings a new, more special meaning," Davey said. "We as a footy club, in the lead-up to the Anzac Day match, we have things that we talk about through the club, and there's awareness around that. It's a more intimate experience, because you're connected to the club in different ways." Alexander actually started her career at Collingwood before jumping ship to Essendon when the Bombers joined the league, joking that she'd never had to play against her childhood side. Sophie Alexander (right) during the AFLW Round 10 match between Carlton and Essendon at IKON Park, November 2, 2024. Picture: AFL Photos While she's now on full-time paramedic hours over the AFLW off-season and only making limited trips to Essendon's training base for voluntary group sessions, Alexander said there is a different feeling around the club at this time of year. "Even though we [AFLW players] are not in and around the club (all the time), there's that sense of responsibility that we're still learning about it," she said. "As a club, we're still educating people, you see Zach Merrett and Brad Scott laying wreathes at the Shrine. It brings back the importance of why we do it. It's not just a footy game, it's celebrating these humans and what they've sacrificed." Collingwood and Essendon are supporting the Anzac Appeal, with donations supporting veterans and families with mental health support, housing assistance and employment programs. Signed Anzac guernseys are being auctioned off, with all proceeds going to the Appeal.