WHILE Annie Lee’s first AFLW win may not have come at the home of the Game Changers, for the Geelong local there was something special about recording her first four points at GMHBA Stadium.
“It was really special to get that first win. I think it was such an adrenaline rush, especially when the siren went – I couldn’t believe it had just happened,” Lee said.
The 18-year-old was born in Warrnambool, before moving with her family to her mother's native Scotland in her early years.
Lee then returned to Australia to settle in Geelong, going on to represent the Geelong Falcons in the NAB League and don the hoops in the VFLW.
“I’ve trained there a bit with the Geelong VFLW on that ground so I think to play a game there was pretty cool.
“I have a few friends that play for Geelong as well so it was really cool to play against them and I obviously live there, so I had heaps of friends that were supporting me and I could really hear them from the grandstand.”
Support for Lee certainly wasn’t in short supply on Saturday night, however there were a few notable absences from the Geelong grandstand.
Despite GMHBA Stadium sitting just a 15-minute drive from Lee’s home, her family found themselves in a Brisbane hotel room, caught up in the last minute COVID-related fixture change.
“Obviously we were meant to be playing up there so they scheduled in plane tickets and the hotel to stay up there and the little change didn’t quite help,” she said.
“They were watching it up in Brisbane, just on the TV but obviously I got to call them after the game so I still had that moment and they were really happy with the win.”
For the lifelong Bluebagger, the moment Lee found out she would be making her debut in Round 1 is still a moment she'll never forget.
“Harf [Daniel Harford] told me downstairs and that was such a special feeling – I wasn’t quite expecting it,” she said.
“Obviously I knew that the game was coming up but I didn’t get any hints or anything like that so it did come as a bit of a shock but it was such a nice feeling to know that all the pre-season and all the hard work that I’d done had paid off.
"It was nice to get that reward and to run out with the girls and hearing the song playing over the speakers was something that I’ll remember forever.”
Hungry after that Round 1 loss, tasting victory on the weekend was even sweeter.
“It’s something that we all pride ourselves on and I think coming back from the Pies game it was definitely a much more special feeling to celebrate that with the girls.”
Despite having just the two games under her belt, Lee is relishing the step up to AFLW level, with the No.10 draft pick’s cool head and classy disposal holding her in good stead.
“It is quite a big step up but I think in my first two games I felt like I’ve improved and I think with each game you’ve just got to improve and get a little bit more experienced,” she said.
“It’s always a lot faster and 'Kez' [Harrington] has told me a few times that you’ve got to be certain with what you’re going to do, don’t be uncertain because once you get the ball and you don’t know where to go or what to do, then that’s when you get tackled pretty quickly.”
For Lee, the next eight rounds of the home and away season are about building confidence in her own game.
“I’m here to play some good footy and be surrounded by good players – I think for me it’s just bringing that confidence and just getting that experience.”
