WHEN Bella Eddey was a teenager, now-teammate Emma Kearney presented her a Vic Metro guernsey. Now, it's Eddey passing on the joy.

In recent years, the two-time premiership player has been coaching at the Sandringham Dragons – the program that helped her get drafted back in 2020, and last month helped out with the All Stars team that took on the Marsh AFLW Academy after national academy manager Tarkyn Lockyer reached out.

"I'm never going to say no to an opportunity to learn and to help out the 18-year-olds, and especially that kind of opportunity where you're looking at the All Stars playing the Academy team, so pretty much the best 18-year-olds in the country," Eddey told AFL.com.au.

"To go out there and help them out on their game day, I remember going through those programs myself and playing, those games are so exciting, and one of the best parts was having AFLW players come down and help out. I remember playing Vic Metro, actually, I still remember Kearney presented me my jumper, which is now pretty funny."

A smart footballer, Eddey has both an eye to the future and the past. Looking back, she's keen to repay the faith that got her to North Melbourne, and looking ahead, she's interested in a career in coaching when her playing career ends.

And she is watching Kearney tread that path, just a few years ahead of her.

So, when a position as a line coach at the Dragons was advertised, several friends and family members sent it over to Eddey.

"It was literally a Facebook post… I had to apply with a resume, cover letter, that was pretty funny," Eddey laughed.

Several rounds of interviews later, she was assigned the midfield group, and this year has progressed to a development role.

"I just love footy, and as a player, I guess one of my strengths has always been my footy IQ, which aligns with coaching a bit… I already know that when I'm finished playing, coaching is something I'd be interested in, so why not get the jump on it now and get some experience in while I'm still playing?" Eddey explained.

"Obviously, a lot of doors are open for you as a player automatically, so just making the most of that, and it's been a really, really fun experience so far. I've learned a lot, and it's actually helped me with my own footy as a player as well."

The biggest part has been managing the emotions of young players, which has allowed Eddey – known for her calm and collected nature – to be a little more introspective on the field when things are getting hot.

"18-year-old girls can be quite emotional, and on game day they get very frustrated and upset, as we all do when maybe you haven't had the start to the game that you wanted… One came up to me at half-time once and I was talking her through how there's a whole half to go, 'don't worry about what's happened in the first half, you can turn it around, let's put a focus on something that we can control'. And I kind of stopped and thought, 'do I do that when I'm in that moment?'" Eddey said.

"I'm probably the player who's a bit like 'I'm not having a good start here' and I get a bit lost. And I remember playing last season and I would catch myself and almost put my coach hat onto myself and be like, 'Well, what would I tell myself if I was one of the girls right now, if I was the coach?'

"And it just helped to get back on track. So, it's been cool to be able to have both perspectives."