FOUR games into her AFLW career, Paige Trudgeon is having a strong impact in the Carlton backline.
Coming into the side for the season opener against Collingwood, Trudgeon has found her feet at the highest level, earning key responsibility in the backline alongside the likes of Kerryn Harrington and Gab Pound.
After going through her first season on the list without a game, it's been a welcome challenge for the 21-year-old.
“Yeah it’s been a whirlwind, it’s been a lot,” Trudgeon said.
“I wasn’t expecting to be given the tasks that I’ve been given but looking back on it, it has been awesome.”
Due to injuries within the team, Trudgeon has been given the task to lock down some of the best forwards in the competition.
Despite being new to the AFLW level, Trudgeon has performed at a very high standard, ranking in the top three fantasy points for her last two games.
Trudgeon noted that she has been spending a lot of time going through her role with Nic Newman, the Game Changers' new defensive coach.
“I’ve been relying a lot on ‘Newy’ and just believing in myself that I prepared enough in the pre-season,” she said.
“The VFL season allowed me to get my confidence and understand the game a little bit more.”
On the ground, Trudgeon relies on the support of the senior players around her to calm her nerves when the tide starts to turn.
“Gab Pound is my rock: she just constantly gives me a thumbs up or comes up to me and asks how it is and just having that little bit of support goes a long way for me,” she said.
“When the ball is coming in fast, you can’t help but think ‘oh my goodness, you’ve got to get this out’, so that’s pretty much what goes through my head, just get it out.”
Trudgeon has experienced a win in her first month of senior football, when the team headed down the highway to face the Cats.
That experience in her second game has given her the drive and hunger to continue working hard, wanting to experience that feeling again.
“The win against Geelong was amazing, being able to be in the middle of the huddle at the end of the game and sing that song,” she said.
“I feel like in pre-season, that’s what you work for: the song at the end of the game. It was awesome.
“I feel like for me, a win is something that will bring confidence. It’s a team effort so at the end of the day, if we play well as a team, that’s when I’ll probably sit back and think we’re going well.”
Having only recently switched to the code of football, Trudgeon is finding her feet well at the level, using some of the tricks she picked up in basketball and translating that to Australian rules football.
“The height I have is helpful, I probably say my contest has been my biggest strength,” she said.
“I’ve got a basketball tap. You’ll notice when you compare me to players like ‘Willo’, they’ve got that really nice punch whereas I have a tap: it’s definitely from my basketball background.
“When I first decided to play footy, I was like ‘yeah it’ll be fun, let out some anger on the field’ which is something you can’t do in basketball.”
Only getting started in her career, Trudgeon hopes she can develop game on game, being able to look back and see visible improvement from her opening performance against the Pies.
“My personal goal is to keep on working towards small improvements and so hopefully at the end of the season, you can see the progression from when I play,” she said.
“That’s what I’ll be working towards.”
