THEY'RE the face of the new West Coast, and the vibes are high and chaotic.

Jess Rentsch and Lu Painter are Vic Country girls living together in the west who have quickly formed a friendship so strong it resembles that of sisters.

Rentsch, 20, is in her second year in the AFLW and hails from Penshurst (just south of the Grampians), while 19-year-old Painter is a draftee from Bendigo, the two towns sitting three hours apart.

They vaguely knew each other before Painter was drafted to West Coast late last year, having played one under-18 national championships together with Country, and have been surprised with just how quickly they have bonded as housemates.

"[Living together is] all right, I guess, she annoys me a lot," Rentsch said, fake-deadpan.

"Jess, this is going to be published," Painter interjected.

"Oh, in that case, she's a lovely person to live with. We're very similar and we like to keep the house clean. So it makes it nice and easy, I guess," Rentsch responded.

"I'm sure she didn't bring up the dishes," Painter added.

"I didn't bring up the dishes, because every time I bring up the dishes, she's like, 'Why did you bring up the dishes, people are going to think I'm really grotty'."

We can assure you the two are, in fact, firm friends.

The cooking duties are shared, alongside the third housemate, Rentsch's cousin – "We've decided Lucia's meals are the closest to inedible, like the peanut butter pasta" – while Painter maintains her kitchen skills are about a quest for gradual improvement, putting out a general request in the middle of the interview for cooking lessons.

Rentsch responded with a specific type of cook that Painter might be interested in, which mortified the marginally more responsible (but younger) Eagle, who quickly reminded Rentsch this was an on-the-record chat.

But don't mistake the chaos for a lack of focus for football.

The pair train hard, are very serious about the eternal quest for improvement, and are high intensity players on the field capable of turning the tide of a match with their attack on the ball.

They're even West Coast's two nominees for this year's Telstra AFLW Rising Star award.

"My first year of AFLW has been amazing. I just love this club, I've been loving just getting [into] it. It's one of the best jobs you could have, playing football for a living," Painter said.

"There's been some ups and downs with wins and losses, but look at us now – we're in finals, we're a young group, so really keen to see how we go this weekend.

"I've learned a lot, developed a lot, and become a different footballer now."

Both players' families have quickly formed strong friendships too, with the girls calling all parents "Mum" and "Dad", regardless of biological ties.

"They give us an equal amount of heckling that they give [their own child], we're literally part of the family," Rentsch said.

"They'll probably be sitting next to each other on Saturday."

Rentsch missed last week's loss to Carlton through suspension, and was forced to burn off her endless supply of energy through cheering alone.

Pick No.2 in the 2023 draft, she's become an extraordinarily integral part of West Coast's line-up a very short period of time, especially considering she missed a large chunk of her debut year with an ankle injury.

Capable of playing as either a defensive or offensive midfielder, as well as a tall shut-down defender, Rentsch is relishing every game she plays.

"Hopefully no injuries to come, and no big injuries again, but it's really nice to have consistency with games," she said.

"I was itching last week, I was itching. I was trying to yell as loud as I could, but Lu still didn't hear me."

Painter mixed sincerity with general mischief in her response.

"I actually could hear her, but I denied it. As much as it was hard for her to not be on the field, it was hard for us as well, considering she's such a strong player and influential on game-day," Painter said.

"I paid her to say that," Rentsch said, with a grin.

When asked, Daisy Pearce refused to nominate just who is the coach's pet ("I love them all"), having heaped praise on both players' diligence and hard work throughout the year.

"It's this one," Rentsch cut across quickly. She put on a mimicry, sing-song voice – "Daisy, can I catch up for a chat? Daisy, this, Daisy this, Daisy can we go through my clips? Daisy, can you come over so I can watch my clips at my house?"

Painter maintained dignity in the face of such blatant needling.

"I'm just very connected with the coaches. I like chats. Whereas Jess would be their favourite, because I heckle them too much."

"I'm more like the coach's child than the coach's pet – it's Sylvie, Roy and Rentsch."

Having upgraded from weetbix, they make an effort to eat porridge together every morning (Painter with cinnamon and honey, and Rentsch with a typically more chaotic combination of "strawberries, sometimes raspberries, bit of golden syrup, bit of cinnamon, bit of turmeric for the joints"), finding a moment of calm before they tackle the day as young women in a high-performance, high pressure environment.

"Honestly, it's like sisters. I've told her I want to live with her for the rest of my life, but I also don't want to sit next to her on the plane," Painter said, boundaries clear.

"It's become a really strong relationship – Jess, stop, a friendship can be a relationship – we balance each other out really well. We're out there to have a bit of fun, even if we got some side-eyes about us playing Pacman at the team hotel last night.

"We match each other's energy, we're up and about, living life to the fullest, and performing."

The final sentiment is the perfect summation of sisterhood.

Rentsch: "I love her."

Painter: "And sometimes, I don't like her."