JEMMA Rigoni has a very recognisable surname to those who watched footy in the 2000s, but is ready to carve out her own reputation at a new club.

Rigoni's father, Guy, played 107 hard-running games for Melbourne, including recording 23 touches in the losing Grand Final of 2000.

Jemma herself started her AFLW career at the Dees as a father-daughter, playing eight games (all in her second season), but such is her strong start to her time at Collingwood, she has just signed a contract extension to tie her to the Pies till the end of 2028.

Collingwood has also locked away fellow young midfielder Carly Remmos for another year, the 23-year-old signing until the end of 2027.

"I obviously enjoyed my time at Melbourne and having that family connection, but now I get to create my own path, and hopefully my own history and legacy at Collingwood," Rigoni told AFL.com.au.

"I always say Dad originally got drafted to Hawthorn and didn't play any senior games there, but then Melbourne gave him a second opportunity. I feel like it's almost working the other way around for me – Melbourne gave me my first opportunity, but hopefully Collingwood is where I get to spend the rest of my career."

Rigoni had a slightly delayed entry into the AFLW world. She played every game of her 17-year-old season with Oakleigh Chargers in the Talent League, and was performing well, until she tore her left ACL in the 2021 preliminary final, missing out on the eventual flag.

She ultimately opted not to nominate for her first draft in 2022.

"I went into year 12, and was recovering through that with my ACL. I had to make a decision as to whether I was going to nominate for the draft, having played basically no footy for 12-18 months (the Talent League was held at the start of the year back then)," Rigoni said.

"I hadn't proven to myself how successful I could be at the top level yet, and after conversations with Melbourne, where they weren't sure whether they were going to pick me up in that draft, I kind of assumed no other clubs would be looking at me, either.

"So I went back to Oakleigh (as an over-ager in 2023), to prove myself and get more experience under my belt. I didn't want to step into an environment or program where I was so far behind and constantly striving to prove myself. I had a great year at Oakleigh, so many mentors, and Ty (Vickery) was a great coach for us, and I got to win my own flag."

With Rigoni fully fit and back to her best, Melbourne then came to the table, offering to sign her as a 19-year-old father-daughter. 

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Jemma was born in 2004, and Guy retired the following year, going on to play in the VFL for another season.

"I wouldn't say I remember much. I've been told that my an and aunts used to explain to me that when Dad was coming to the bench, it was because he was tired and needed a nap. Apparently I didn't understand other people cheering, and used to yell at them saying 'my Dad's trying to sleep, he's having a nap, don't wake him up'," she said with a laugh.

"Growing up, I didn't play a lot of footy until I wanted to give it a crack when I was about 14. Dad had always said to be passionate about what you do, so he'd help me with basketball or netball, and taught me if I wanted to play something, to take it seriously and value it.

"I can secretly tell that the day I decided to pick up a footy was the best day ever for him. But he was always there to fully support me, and not put pressure on me and let me choose my own path."

Then came the surprise off-season move to Collingwood for Rigoni, who was also busy completing a Bachelor of Science at Monash Uni (major in physiology, minors in human anatomy and psychology) on the side.

"Going through that period, Melbourne couldn't really give me an answer on what they saw for my future at the club, and obviously I gave them time to do that. But then my management (Anthony Panozzo from Hemisphere) started getting involved, saying we might have to look at other options here," she said.

"Once we did start exploring, Collingwood brought me in straight away, and you know, shed light on their program and what the vision they saw for me. I think it really resonated with me, and I felt like I could really have a contribution here and be valued, and be better for my footy as well, eventually."

Collingwood has its final game at Victoria Park for the season on Sunday, before the ground undergoes a major redevelopment.

While Melbourne looms as a daunting task, the Pies are riding high after their breakthrough first win of the season.

"We're still obviously finding ways to improve, but it was good to get some reward. I feel like we've been playing a good brand of footy, but it hasn't been sustainable through four quarters," Rigoni said.

"It was nice to get that reward, and I think I just helps lift the group and keep us motivated to play out this season and keep trying to get wins on the board."