BEING picked on as the "odd one out" as a junior helped shape Alicia Eva into one of the AFL Women's competition's best players. 

And the 26-year-old midfielder, who crossed from Collingwood to Greater Western Sydney at the end of the inaugural NAB AFLW season, plans to continue making an impact on the game long after her playing days are over.

Eva, who will line up for Victoria in Saturday night’s NAB AFL Women’s state of origin match at Etihad Stadium, started playing when she was six, competing mostly against boys. 

"I loved being the odd one out…there [were] hard times being the odd one out and being picked on for being the only girl running around," she said in the sixth episode of The Chase video series.

"But it was also really special when I was able to go out there, play good football and do all the things the boys were doing and to walk off the ground knowing, 'Hey I changed some people’s opinions about what girls can do in football.'"

Eva has combined playing and coaching for the past seven years, developing a strong interest in the tactical side of the game. She has worked with junior boys and girls and mentored the likes of Gold Coast duo Touk Miller and Peter Wright while working with TAC Cup club Calder. 

Part of the appeal of moving to the Giants was the club’s commitment to helping her develop her coaching skills.

She long ago ceased differentiating herself as a female football coach. 

"I stopped using the term 'female coach'. I was a coach."