"To me, I think it’s a round that celebrates us as a culture. I think it’s a round that’s able to recognise our culture and what we’ve been able to contribute to the sport.

I think it’s a round that helps to reconcile Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to non-Indigenous people.

Leading up to it as a player, going into this round, I feel very privileged, I feel a lot of pride in being able to represent my people in this round in particular.

Being a home game this weekend, being in our country, with our family there to cheer us on, I’m actually a bit nervous, just the expectation I hold on myself to perform.

But also, there’s a lot of pride that comes with it.

Being able to bring to light a lot of other issues that this round allows us to talk about.

Even just our history, a lot of people don’t understand it, even just the everyday issues that we face as being Aboriginal people.

The barriers that we’ve had to even get here in the first place.

A lot of girls just don’t understand that, never would’ve known, if it wasn’t for talking about this round and everything that it means for us to be here, and what it means to play and celebrate it.

It means everything to me – culture is something that I grew up strongly with, a strong identity, and strong cultural identity is something that was instilled from my grandparents.

It’s something that I’ll always love and take pride in.

So, I’m excited, it’s just one of the best feelings of just pride and excitement and it makes me love the game even more.

That I get to be a part of the very first round, is definitely that bit much more meaningful.

I think being in this position and going into this round as a player, to be a role model that young girls, and boys, can inspire to be.

Especially the girls, it shows that they can play football, and they can play at this top level.

I got into footy when I was about nine. One of my cousins, she’s nine days older than me, so we were sisters, so when her and her brother started playing footy, I wanted to join in too.

Then, I really fell in love with the game, we used to watch our family go and play football in the Sunday League – half time we’d be out on the footy field kicking.

I’d be playing of the pack with the boys, they wouldn’t care, and we’d just tackle full on.

In 2009, when I was 12, I couldn’t play with the boys anymore, so I went into the program I’m in now with the Wirrpanda Foundation, which at the time was called, ‘The Daily Dream Program’.

Josie Janz and Kirby Bentley were my mentors.

Kirby was telling me her story about how she played football… representing the states and winning awards.

I was like‘I want to do that’. ‘I want to be there’.

I told her my age, and she was like, ‘oh, you’re just a baby!', but I came down anyway.

I played for East Fremantle, the Rogers Cup Team, down at Perth, then 2019 I went to Swans and that’s where I was drafted.

The love of the game definitely has pushed me, any chance of footy, whether that’s footy with your cousins, exhibition matches we only used to be able to play before, I would put my hand up for that.

I remember speaking to my junior coach and saying, ‘I want to play AFL with the men’.

But, when I was younger, there was talks of AFLW coming around, and when there was a league, I was like, I want to be there, I want to compete against the best, I want to play at that top level.

I pushed myself and pushed myself, which I think was a bit hard at first, because I didn’t have the means to do that.

But, I knew what I wanted to do, I didn’t give up on that dream, it’s all paid off and here I am.

I’m very proud of myself. I’d say my family is quite proud of me as well.

My grandmother has always been my role model, I’ve always followed her and my grandfather, but her in particular, such strong cultural connection.

She’s very proud of me, she does what she can to support and even having her here as part of the smoking ceremony and wanting to be a part of that just to support me, and help educate the club and staff on the meaning behind it.

For us, as a culture it's very important to me.

It just makes me proud.

It makes me think 'finally, people are embracing our culture'.

Being a part of it and actually seeing the look on everyone’s faces, and just how much it means to them, and how much they respect it.

Definitely makes me feel like we’re doing something good here."