Lingering injury couldn't stop this footballer from winning everything in 2026

"Burnt out" after five years in the VFLW, Jordan Mifsud's decision to return to local football in 2026 could hardly have gone better.

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The south-west export, who lived in Warrnambool until she was 10, won everything on offer in 2026 while playing for Old Scotch in the Victorian Amateur Football Association's women's premier division.

The 29-year-old helped the Cardinals to a third straight premiership last month, winning her third consecutive best-on-ground medal in the grand final.

Jordan Mifsud, left, with her VAFA best-and-fairest and leading goal-kicker medals and, right, with her grand final best-on-ground medal. Pictures by Cath Coady - VAFA Media

She also topped the league's goal-kicking with 52 majors and, earlier in the year, was best-on-ground with three goals in the Big V representative team's win against the Adelaide footy league.

To top it all off, the midfielder-forward made history when she polled a record 32 votes to win the league's best and fairest - the Shona McInnes Medal - on Wednesday, October 7.

Amazingly, she did all this while battling with a broken finger for most of the season.

"It was a goal of mine coming into the season to win the best and fairest," Mifsud told The Standard.

"So it's a good reward for effort for the season that we had.

"It's the longest women's season, the VAFA, in Melbourne, playing 18 rounds, so to play consistent footy across such a long period (is pleasing).

Jordan Mifsud walks back to her Old Scotch teammates after winning the best-on-ground medal in the decider. Picture by Cath Coady - VAFA Media

"I'm just really happy with the season I've had and couldn't ask for anything more."

Mifsud, whose father is Koroit champion Jason, played every game for the undefeated Cardinals, despite the injury - which saw her pinky finger "fully dislocated" in about round five.

She had to change the way she kicked the ball slightly as a result.

"I got told I could play with it so I was like 'all right, lets just put a splint on it and I'll worry about it post-season' because we've got a flag to win'," she said.

Mifsud returned to full-time local footy this year after a decorated 45-game VFLW career from 2021 to 2025.

She played four games with Collingwood in 2021, 29 with Box Hill Hawks across 2022 and 2023 and 12 at Port Melbourne from 2024 to 2025.

The star footballer also won the VFLW's top individual honour - the Lambert-Pearce Medal - in 2023 and claimed two best-and-fairests at Box Hill.

After a fruitful five years in the state league, she decided the time was right to step back and play out the rest of her career at Old Scotch.

Jordan Mifsud kicks for Old Scotch. Picture by Cath Coady - VAFA Media

"I think I was just a bit burnt out from it," she said.

"I was playing to try to get drafted and I had a run of injuries the last two years there unfortunately. Then I got to the stage where I was a bit too old to get drafted unfortunately.

"And just the commitment of that level, I just wasn't as committed to wanting to see that through anymore.

"I knew that I had a good home to come back to in Scotch, with a bit less commitment, a bit more fun, less political."

Mifsud's achievements are even more impressive given she only took up football in her early 20s.

The Melbourne-based Indigenous consultant, a Kirrae, Peek and Tjab Whurrong woman of the Eastern Maar nation, had previously been a talented soccer player but did learn how to kick a footy from a young age thanks to her dad.

Jordan Mifsud playing for Port Melbourne's VFLW side against Tasmania in a 2025 practice match. Picture by The Examiner

She said AFLW clubs were looking at her after winning the Lambert-Pearce Medal in 2023, however a series of injuries afterwards didn't help her cause.

"I think I just started football a little too late, I only started when I was 22," she said.

"If I had started when I was in my teenage years, it probably would have been a different story."

Mifsud, who still has numerous family members in the south-west, is also passionate about coaching.

The prolific goal-kicker has coached the Woomeras, a side made up of the best under-15 female Indigenous talent from around the country, since 2020.

She was part of the inaugural Woomeras squad when she was younger and finds it "really rewarding" to now be the head coach.

She enjoys mentoring the players, some of whom have never been outside their remote communities or been on a plane.

"Just getting to be a part of that experience to show them a new place and that there are endless possibilities for them if they put in the work (is great)," she said.

"And exposing them to high performance programs and instilling that belief in them that they can achieve their dreams if they really want to.

"Just bringing young Aboriginal girls together across the country to connect is really special as well. But footy is the thing that brings us together."

Mifsud hopes to continue along the coaching pathway and follow in the footsteps of her dad. She is completing a coaching program through the AFL.

Jason won flags as a playing-coach with Caramut in the Mininera and District league (1994) and Koroit in the Hampden league (2003).

He then spent time as an AFL assistant coach with St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs before coaching Beaumaris to a VAFA premiership in 2010.

"Coaching comes a bit naturally to me having watched Dad do it for so long and I think it's just easy empowering others to believe in themselves and building that connection to achieve a shared goal," Mifsud said.

"I definitely want to get into coaching more. I kind of want to follow in Dad's footsteps and try being a playing head coach or coach.

"I guess I'm just waiting for the right time to be able to manage both of those responsibilities because it doesn't come without a lot of time and effort that you need to dedicate to being a head coach."

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