THE TEXTS from North Melbourne AFLW premiership coach Darren Crocker occasionally land on Ashleigh Martin's phone.

"Just one game…"

Martin is the father of Bailee Martin, the prospective No.1 pick in this year's Telstra AFLW Draft. Bailee is a goalkicking machine – a dominant forward across her three years in the talent pathway and seen as a future star at the top level. 

Her dad spent time at North Melbourne in the reserves but didn't break through for an AFL game. He went on to play VFL with North Ballarat and Port Melbourne before being a star at local level with East Burwood in Melbourne's eastern suburbs. 

Under AFLW father-daughter rules, had he played one senior game at AFL level Bailee would have been eligible to join the all-conquering Kangaroos. 

"Darren Crocker is a friend and 'Croc' has text me a couple of times about it, so I'll get reminded of that regularly," Martin senior said. 

Not that the reigning back-to-back premiers Roos probably need the help or another young star like Martin, who has been a dominant player at all levels she has played since making her Talent League debut with the Oakleigh Chargers as a 15-year-old. Last season she kicked 43 goals in 10 games for the Chargers as a bottom-ager, as well as a seven-goal bag for Vic Metro against Vic Country, and she has backed it up again through this year too in between some injury issues. She also was a part of the Marsh AFL National Academy Girls team, coached by Tarkyn Lockyer, which is a finishing school for the next generation of talents. 

"It's been fun getting into it with all the girls. I wanted to play consistent footy and still perform at a high level, and coming in from last year I knew what the level and standard would be so I was used to it," Bailee told AFL.com.au.

"I want to finish the year strongly with Oakleigh and see how far we can go with them, and then just let it settle and see how it all plays out."

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Bailee says her love of footy comes from her dad. He taught her to kick (on the opposite foot as well), mark and handball, and would be out on ovals until dark setting up late-game scenarios Bailee wanted to make happen. Now, they spend their weekends on the couch watching games and games of footy – both men's and women's.

Both are busy. Bailee is completing year 12 at Caulfield Grammar and Ashleigh is principal of the esteemed private school, which has a proud history of producing footballers and sportspeople. 

By the time Bailee had started playing footy as a seven-year-old at East Malvern Knights, the first season of AFLW in 2017 was not far away. The timing couldn't have been better.

"When I was growing up AFLW wasn't always there, so I remember watching the AFL and being like 'Oh, I want to be one of those players when I'm older'. And now there's all the AFLW players that I just look up to and want to join badly," Bailee said.

A seminal moment in that pursuit came at the first ever AFLW game – the historic and sold-out clash between Collingwood and Carlton in February 2017. As the gates shut at Ikon Park on crowds wanting to pack in, the Martins found a way through.

"It will be a lifelong memory for me. We were one of the families that snuck in and we've got a beautiful photo of it. I remember being there as a sport follower looking out and you could just see it. There's been some chapters along the way in the AFLW since then but just at that moment I thought 'Wow, this is going to be real for my daughter'," Ashleigh said.

"There's a pathway and it's 10 years on now, so it's quite nice we were at that first one and then to think that Bailee might one day be out there playing is pretty exciting as well."

That is only months away from being a reality. Despite managing some minor injuries, Martin remains the red-hot favourite as the best player in this year's AFLW Draft pool, with many recruiters seeing her as the standout prospect. 

She models her game on Carlton's emerging gun Poppy Scholz, while as a big Swans fan she loves Isaac Heeney as well (she even has a pair of his match-worn socks as a piece of memorabilia). On Sunday, a day after kicking five goals for Oakleigh against Gippsland, she and Ashleigh flew to Adelaide to watch close friend Chloe Bown make her debut for the Crows against Sydney. 

"Chloe tells me every day about how her training and how things go and it just makes me think 'I can't wait to be doing that next year, hopefully, if I get the chance," she said.

Ashleigh became Caulfield's principal in 2018, following a career in education. Bailee, and sister Charli, were born in Singapore while the family was based there – even seeing Collingwood investigate whether Bailee would qualify under Next Generation Academy rules. 

Having your dad as the principal has become normal for Martin.

"I've gotten used to it. My friends know I'm chill and by now everyone loves dad. It kind of helps a little bit that he's a good principal," Bailee said.

"Whenever I get home from training mum and dad say I've got to do at least an hour or two of study. Sometimes I struggle with that, but I get there. My teachers understand my pressures and how big some of my weeks can be." 

Two weeks ago the Caulfield Grammar girls' football team lost its Grand Final, and on Saturday just gone the boys' team, featuring potential draftees Wil Malady and Marlon Neocleous, lost its Grand Final against Brighton Grammar.

Caulfield has a strong history of AFL players – including the likes of Chris Judd, Brendon Goddard, Jack Ziebell, Taylor Duryea and more – and continues to pride itself on a strong football program, with Cats great Jimmy Bartel the head of football and ex-Geelong AFLW captain Meghan McDonald coaching the girls' team.

"Footy is a part of our history and even now someone was telling me recently if you looked at a Caulfield Grammar School forward line in the AFL, you've got 'The Wizard' (Nick Watson), Josh Rachele, Murphy Reid, Dylan Moore, Max Gruzewski," Ashleigh said.

"With the W we've had the likes of Issy Grant and Alice Edmonds from the Dogs and Sofia Hurley at the Swans. If Bailee can add another chapter to that, that'd be great – as a dad and as a principal.

"I love watching all of our sports on the weekend and the Saturday schedules have highlights everywhere. I'll try get to everywhere I can but ideally be able to watch Bailee and my younger daughter is a dancer so I like to watch her as well. I love watching sport so it's not a burden." 

The Martins know there's plenty more of that to come. AFLW recruiters and list managers have visited them for interviews and Bailee has gotten her head around the potential of moving away from home. She has put in the work – including regular running and conditioning sessions at Gosch's Paddock with her agent Anthony Panozzo, from Hemisphere Management Group – and has set her sights on being the No.1 pick when names are called in December.

"That's the dream. But you never know what can happen. It's always in the back of my mind, but I try not to think about it too much, but it definitely does help me work harder, push to be better and hopefully get there in the end," she said.