LIKE most good stories in football, there’s always the underdog who gets agonisingly close to the end goal and then gets kicked around.

Their will, determination and 'never give up' attitude is what eventually gets them their big break.

That’s just breaking the surface of the Gen Lawson-Tavan story.

From an upbringing surrounded by football, Lawson-Tavan always had her eyes set on playing at the highest level.

Starting out at the Darebin Falcons and playing seven of her ten seasons at the club in successful seniors competitions, she was surrounded by some of the greats of the competition, including current Blues Darcy Vescio and Jess Dal Pos, which helped strengthen her elite determination and resilient mindset.

Lawson-Tavan’s consistency and strong contest as a key defender was what helped her gain attention from AFLW recruiters, including the Sydney Swans, where she was signed on six weeks into pre-season as an injury replacement player, playing seven games in her first season of top-tier football.

It wasn’t to be for Lawson-Tavan, as the Swans delisted the defender at the season’s end, leaving her with the decision of whether to stay in Sydney or move back to Melbourne.

“It was a really good experience up there, but unfortunately I didn’t get another contract, so it was time to come home after the end of the season," Lawson-Tavan said. 

“I didn’t really think it would be that quick into thinking about footy and the next steps again.

“It was really disappointing getting delisted, but I was more determined than ever to end up back on a list because I felt like I wasn’t done.”

Not taking time to breathe, she started assessing her next options, deciding to make the most out of her situation and join the VFLW. 

As much as she appreciated what the Darebin Falcons did for her in the first phase of her career, Lawson-Tavan knew if she wanted to get back to where she wanted to be it was time to broaden her options.

“It was probably one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make, to be honest, but I had conversations with the club and wanted to try something new. I’ll forever be grateful for Darebin” she said.

After much deliberation, Lawson-Tavan joined the Carlton VFLW side, drawn to the professionalism of the program and the approach of the Club moving forward.

“It was a really good decision for me, the professionalism of the program was quite similar to what is at an AFLW level,” she said.

“Coming back from Sydney, it was probably a good breaking point to try something different and see how I could progress. It did involve some hard conversations and hard decisions”.

Her first season in the Navy Blue was a successful one, with the Blues making the post-season and having a strong season in defence, earning her second place in Carlton’s VFLW Best & Fairest

“I didn’t know that was going to happen, it was a nice little reward for a steady season” Lawson-Tavan excitedly recalled.

Lawson-Tavan’s decision to join the Blues wasn’t just based on football, with a deep family connection helping her make her way back to IKON Park, thanks to her Nonna and Nonno quickly adopting the local football team as their own when they moved to Carlton.

“It was something that was carried in my family that everyone was a Carlton supporter," she said. 

Lawson-Tavan isn’t the first of her family to don the CFC insignia, with father Robert Lawson playing for the Blues’ Under-19s and Reserves teams between 1979 and 1981, but now playing the role of mentor and no.1 fan.

“He’s been a big mentor on my journey,” she said.

“Dad was ecstatic that I was coming here [to Carlton], it was pretty obvious it was meant to be, how much it meant to play in the Navy Blue, so that did play a part in my decision.”

Although the family connection is something of a fairytale, her grit and determination to fight back from the lows is what makes everything that little bit more special for the new Blues' defender.

Fighting back from adversity is something that has fuelled Lawson-Tavan her whole career and turning her delisting into another contract was the driving force – ending up at Carlton was just the full-circle moment that felt fitting.

“One of my biggest traits is my resilience and pushing through adversity – not dwelling on it and having some self-reflection and looking at what you can do to change," she said. 

“Going through that journey as a 21-year-old, it's so natural to compare yourself - I feel like we’re conditioned to do that - but having the reflection and seeing that it wasn’t anything I could control, I worked on what I could and made it better.”