History was made this week when Geelong’s AFLW squad came together for the first time in the club’s history. A history that is approaching 160 years.

It’s a moment I know I have been waiting for since signing with the club in May. For others picked up in last month’s draft, it would have come around quickly. For the club as a whole, the start of the AFLW program has been years in the making.

To be part of an AFL club’s inaugural side is an honour. An achievement that we as players will reflect on for the rest of our lives. It is a privilege that only we will share. No one can take this away from us.

Though Tuesday night was the first time the team has gathered, there was a sense of familiarity amongst the squad. A large proportion of the group have come from Geelong’s VFLW side and it felt to me that they had been preparing for this moment since beginning their journey with the club.

Others, such as myself, have been recruited from a range of different football backgrounds, however most of us still have a link to others in the group. Aasta O’Connor, Melissa Hickey and Meghan McDonald have played alongside one another for years at VFLW club the Darebin Falcons. Julia Crockett-Grills and I played this VFLW season together at Hawthorn and seven of the younger members of the squad represented Vic Country at the AFLW under 18 championships earlier this year.

Tuesday night’s training began with formalities marking this historic occasion. We were welcomed to the club by key Cats personnel, including CEO Brian Cook, Head of Football Simon Lloyd and Head of Women’s Football and Pathways Simone Bellears. Each spoke with passion about the importance of the club’s women’s program.

Our program leading into Christmas includes three main training sessions per week – Tuesday and Thursday nights and a session on Saturday morning. These trainings run for approximately four hours and include team meetings, on-field training, gym and recovery. An extra gym and game-plan session is held on Wednesday nights.

For week one the focus has been on getting the fundamentals right, whilst also building our fitness levels. A keyword has been precision - making sure we execute our skills to the best of our ability. Drills have been designed around this focus.

At the end of training we have a block of conditioning. This is when our strength and conditioning coach, Monica Kelly, puts us through our paces. It has been fun to see who enjoys running and who doesn’t. It’s definitely not my favourite part of training, but I know how important it is. Others like Nina Morrison and Renee Garing complete these blocks with ease.

Following our on-field training we head into the gym. Since signing with the Cats I have heard rumours that Richelle (Rocky) Cranston is an absolute machine in the gym. Apparently at the conclusion of the VFLW season, the club deactivated every players’ swipe card to make sure they didn’t access the gym to give their bodies a break - Rocky was devastated. I can confirm that the rumours are true. Rocky lifts nearly double what others do in certain exercises. She is in her element.

At the end of the night we have dinner together as a team in the players’ lounge. The club provides us with our meals and it’s a good opportunity to chat with the girls and get to know one another away from the training track. Post dinner girls jump into the ice bath to ensure they have recovered and are ready for the next day.

It’s been a busy week with lots of new faces, experiences and challenges. What an exciting journey we are on and it’s only week one.