Cynthia Hamilton

{{short description|Australian rules footballer}}

{{Use Australian English|date=October 2023}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}

{{For-text|the British peeress, née Cynthia Hamilton|Cynthia Spencer, Countess Spencer}}

{{Infobox AFL biography

| name = Cynthia Hamilton

| nickname =

| image =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2004|4|2|df=y}}

| fullname =

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| originalteam = Queanbeyan (AFL Canberra)

| draftpick = No. 11, 2022 AFL Women's draft

| height = 168cm

| weight =

| position = Midfielder/forward

| currentclub = {{AFLW|Syd}}

| guernsey = 10

| years1 = 2022 (S7)–

| club1 = {{AFLW|Syd}}

| games_goals1 = 21 (10)

| statsend = the 2023 season

| careerhighlights =

}}

Cynthia Hamilton (born 2 April 2004) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for {{AFLW|Syd}} in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She won Sydney's best and fairest award in 2022 season 7, the club's inaugural AFLW season.

Football

=Pre-AFLW=

Before her time in the AFLW, Hamilton played numerous sports including judo (in which she was a national junior representative), basketball and OzTag.{{Cite news|title=Local star Cynthia Hamilton cracks U19 AFLW All Australian side|url=https://canberradaily.com.au/local-star-cynthia-hamilton-cracks-u19-aflw-all-australian-side/|newspaper=Canberra Daily|last=Samaras|first=Denholm|date=14 July 2021|access-date=2 October 2023}} She began playing Australian football at the age of 10. She played for Belconnen then Queanbeyan in AFL Canberra competitions, and was a member of the Greater Western Sydney Giants Academy.

She played for the Allies at both the 2021 and 2022 underage championships. She was named in All-Australian squads at both and won the Allies MVP award at the former.{{Cite news|title=Vics dominate AFLW U19 All-Aus team|url=https://www.aflvic.com.au/news/vics-dominate-aflw-u19-all-aus-team-433120|publisher=AFL Victoria|date=8 July 2021|access-date=2 October 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://central.rookieme.com/afl/2022/05/04/goody-crowned-aflw-u18s-mvp-as-all-australian-team-announced/|title=Goody crowned AFLW U18s MVP as All-Australian team announced|publisher=Rookie Me Central|last=Williams|first=Peter|date=4 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504061544/https://central.rookieme.com/afl/2022/05/04/goody-crowned-aflw-u18s-mvp-as-all-australian-team-announced/|archive-date=4 May 2022|access-date=2 October 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://central.rookieme.com/afl/2022/04/21/hamilton-tests-mettle-against-the-best/|title=Hamilton tests mettle against the best|publisher=Rookie Me Central|last=Alvaro|first=Michael|date=21 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421020006/https://central.rookieme.com/afl/2022/04/21/hamilton-tests-mettle-against-the-best/|archive-date=21 April 2022|access-date=2 October 2023}}

=AFLW=

Hamilton was drafted by {{AFLW|Syd}} with pick 11 in the 2022 AFL Women's draft. She played nine games and scored three goals in her debut season, receiving a Rising Star nomination for a 19-disposal effort in the final round of the home-and-away season.{{Cite news|title=Former judo star Swan, Port defender nab round 10 Rising Star noms|url=https://www.afl.com.au/aflw/news/1002227/former-judo-star-swan-port-defender-nab-round-10-rising-star-noms|publisher=AFL Women's|date=31 October 2022|access-date=2 October 2023}} That year, she won Sydney's inaugural AFLW best and fairest award.{{Cite news|title=Former Queanbeyan Tigers star Cynthia Hamilton wins Sydney Swans' club champion award|url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7979300/former-queanbeyan-tiger-wins-sydney-swans-top-gong/|url-access=subscription|newspaper=The Canberra Times|last=Dinjaski|first=Melanie|date=12 November 2022|archive-url=https://archive.today/20231002095706/https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7979300/former-queanbeyan-tiger-wins-sydney-swans-top-gong/|archive-date=2 October 2023|access-date=2 October 2023}}

Personal life

Hamilton was born on 2 April 2004,{{AustralianFootball|cynthia%2Bhamilton/21417}} daughter of Josie and Kelly Hamilton.{{Cite news|title=Hamilton clan hoping lightning strikes twice on draft night|url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/hamilton-clan-hoping-lightning-strikes-twice-on-draft-night-20201001-p5611s.html|newspaper=The Age|location=Melbourne|last=Cherny|first=Daniel|date=3 October 2020|access-date=2 October 2023}} Her older sister Lexi has played for {{AFLW|GC}} and {{AFL NM}} in the AFLW, and currently plays alongside her at Sydney.{{Cite news|title=Sisters doing it for the red and white|url=https://www.sydneyswans.com.au/news/1239924/sisters-doing-it-for-the-red-and-white|publisher=Sydney Swans|date=22 October 2022|access-date=2 October 2023}} Another older sister, Jayde, has played in the VFL Women's for {{VFLW NM}}.{{Cite web|url=https://central.rookieme.com/afl/2022/06/20/2022-aflw-draft-others-to-watch-allies/|title=2022 AFLW Draft: Others to Watch – Allies|publisher=Rookie Me Central|last=Williams|first=Peter|date=20 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707104307/https://central.rookieme.com/afl/2022/06/20/2022-aflw-draft-others-to-watch-allies/|archive-date=7 July 2022|access-date=2 October 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://central.rookieme.com/afl/player/jayde-hamilton/|title=#18 Jayde Hamilton|publisher=Rookie Me Central|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002125628/https://central.rookieme.com/afl/player/jayde-hamilton/|archive-date=2 October 2023|access-date=2 October 2023}}

References

{{reflist}}