Zali Friswell is one of the underrated budding stars at Geelong who is pushing the team to new heights, as she prepares to play her 25th AFLW game this weekend.  

Drafted with Geelong’s second pick in the 2021 AFLW draft, the Calder Cannons product took no time cracking into the Cats line up, debuting in the opening round of the 2022 season.

The 19 year old has quickly become a mainstay in the Geelong team, featuring in every game across the past two seasons.

Friswell said she is excited about reaching the milestone so early in her career, ahead of her 25th game this Saturday against Fremantle.

"It feels a bit weird that it's only my second year, but to already be able to play 25 games is pretty awesome,” Friswell said. 

“There are a few players that have taken a number of years to hit that milestone due to the shorter seasons, but I'm pretty excited to be able to share this with the girls.

"It was a long process with a lot of ups and downs to get into the AFLW.

"I came from the Calder Cannons and it has been a lot of hard to work to be able to get where I am today.”

After spending the 2021 season with Essendon’s VFLW team, Friswell quickly became touted as one of the best ball users in her draft class and has proven to be a valuable asset for Geelong.

Putting together another consistent year in her third AFLW season, the classy winger has added another dimension to her game averaging a career high four tackles per game in 2023.

The young Cat cemented her spot in the team last season featuring in every game, including Geelong’s elimination final which Friswell noted was the best game she has ever played in.

“I have never felt anything like that first final last year against North Melbourne,” Friswell said. 

“The crowd was amazing and the intensity around the football was incredible, I have never played in a game where the quality of football was so good. 

I would love to get to experience that again, but that has been my favourite game so far."