WITH daughter Esme now nearly two years old, Maddy Prespakis has the parenting routine down pat and is already seeing the benefits of a full life away from footy.

So much so, she’s already looking at having another baby with fiancee Sophie Cachia.

While the original plan wasn’t to take on a formal parenting role in Esme’s life, Prespakis’ bond with the little one grew naturally and rapidly, with Esme now sharing Prespakis’ surname. 

“It’s pretty awesome, it’s pretty special,” Prespakis told AFL.com.au of her relationship with Esme being formalised on paper.

“[It’s] probably something we didn’t speak about for that long. 

“When I showed my parents, they were pretty proud, I know they love her so much. It’s pretty awesome. 

“Hopefully we can give her a sibling one day, that would be awesome too.”

In her second year balancing being a parental figure with the demands of a footy career, Prespakis feels she’s finally hitting her straps.

“I think anyone who is a parent probably understands that it can be busy at times, quite chaotic,” Prespakis said of her off-field life.

“But I feel like we’ve found a good routine now. Essie’s 18 months old, so she’s in daycare and we’ve got a good routine and Soph still works. So we’ve found a good rhythm now, last year was chaotic.”

Prepakis is playing the best footy of her 86-game career, averaging 31.8 disposals and 4.3 clearances per game despite Essendon only winning one match so far this season.

The 25-year-old puts her reinvigoration down to some tough conversations she had over the off-season. 

“My feedback last year, probably internally but also externally was that I wasn’t fit enough,” Prepsakis said.

“I’ve put a lot of work into that in the off-season, and I’ve probably sacrificed a lot of things.

“I’ve sort of leaned up and lost a bit of weight, which means I’m able to cover the ground a lot freer and a bit quicker as well. 

“I feel like a completely different person, so I feel a lot happier in myself but also feel a lot more motivated.”

Not only is Prespakis feeling refreshed physically, but the psychological benefits of separating football and home life have also positively impacted her on-field performance.

That doesn’t mean there’s not some crossover as Prespakis introduces her daughter to the joys of footy.

“I was trying to teach [Esme] how to handball the other day but she still doesn’t know how to hold the ball,” Prespakis said

“She’s probably still a bit too young to understand [footy], but it’s pretty nice. It makes you feel more grateful for something different other than just what I do every single day.

“It’s parking the footballer at the door and becoming a mum and a partner as soon as I walk in the door.”