THERE is a fitting symmetry to Tilly Lucas-Rodd's 100th AFLW game this Sunday. The Greater Western Sydney defender will reach the milestone against former club Hawthorn at Henson Park during Pride Round, bringing together three chapters that have helped define their football journey.

The centenary caps a career spanning Carlton, St Kilda, Hawthorn and GWS, with the 30-year-old joining a select group of players to reach the mark.

Adding to the occasion, Lucas-Rodd joked that scheduling the milestone match against their former side was a clever piece of planning.

“Strategic move by the AFL in the fixturing department,” Lucas-Rodd laughed.

"I'm super excited. I've spoken to my friends already last week, and then when we played in Melbourne last, they were at the game; some of the Hawks girls. They were super keen, so I'm sure it'll be fun."

In achieving the feat, Lucas-Rodd becomes the first-ever AFLW player to bring up the century mark in the orange and charcoal.

Looking back on the achievement, Lucas-Rodd reflected on the significance of reaching 100 games at GWS, particularly after the uncertainty they faced earlier in their career.

“It's a huge honour to do it in the Giants jumper. I love the team here, I love the staff and the program, so I'm super honoured to bring it up at this club,” they told media on Tuesday.

“Being delisted, you kind of don't know where your career is going to go. So, I'm just grateful to be at the Giants and to get to do it with this group.”

While wearing the Giants' custom-designed Pride guernsey will be a highlight, Lucas-Rodd believes that the true significance of Pride Round lies in fostering open, honest conversations.

Now part of the Giants' leadership group in their first season at the club, Lucas-Rodd leads by example, using transparency and active communication to build understanding and help ensure football is a place where everyone feels welcome.

Lucas-Rodd views sharing their journey as a non-binary athlete as a privilege, having first come out as a lesbian at 16 before being drafted by Carlton ahead of the inaugural AFLW season in 2017.

After three seasons at Carlton and another three at St Kilda, Lucas-Rodd joined Hawthorn, where they were appointed the club's inaugural AFLW captain for season seven. In 2023, Lucas-Rodd publicly came out as non-binary and, two years later, became the first active AFLW player to undergo gender-affirming top surgery before joining GWS in the 2025 Trade Period.

While these milestones have allowed them to live proudly and openly, Lucas-Rodd said speaking publicly often means one part of their identity comes to represent a much broader community.

"I just always show up as myself. That's something that people have always said they value about me," they said.

"In terms of the queer space and education around LGBTQIA+ issues, I show up as myself, and I make sure that I'm really open to conversations.

"There aren't many non-binary athletes out there playing professional sports, so coming into the Giants, I wanted to make sure that I was open to conversations and educating my teammates, showing them that nothing's off-limits. They can ask about anything, and I'll give them an honest answer.

"We can create mutual respect and understanding between people, and I think that goes a long way to creating inclusion."

In a recent conversation with Giants men's player Tom Green, Lucas-Rodd highlighted how people without lived queer experiences can often have an unintentional blind spot when it comes to inclusion.

“When you don't have lived experience of what it's like to be queer, male players who haven't grown up in the queer community or aren't queer themselves aren't going to realise, ‘Oh, this isn't a safe space,’” Lucas-Rodd explained in the video shared on the Giants’ platforms.

“They're going to think, ‘It's fine, of course a queer person will feel welcome.’ But until you've been that queer person in that room where you don't feel welcome, you're not going to know.

“So, storytelling, trying to educate yourself, and not being ignorant; not just assuming it's going to be fine or welcoming.”

On Tuesday, former professional rugby league player Ian Roberts reinforced those themes when he addressed the Giants' AFLW playing group, staff and other club employees as part of the club's Pride Round inclusion and education initiatives.

Roberts — who became the first Australian professional footballer to publicly come out as gay while playing for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in 1995 and has since become one of the nation's most prominent advocates for LGBTQIA+ inclusion in sport — spoke about the importance of acceptance, visibility and education, drawing on his own experiences.

One of the most powerful moments came when Roberts recalled his father's later-in-life realisation that having a gay son helped him "see the world as it really is", highlighting how lived experience can broaden perspectives and deepen understanding.

“I think the best way is listening to lived experiences and what people have gone through to help find a better way forward,” Lucas-Rodd said.

“Ian touched on it when he was speaking to us. He said education, education, education is the way forward.

“We can create better policies and better advocacy for people who are struggling, and we do that through listening to lived experiences.

“Something I'm really big on is making sure I learn from other people around me and what they've been through, to know how I can be a better ally, a better person in this space.”

Speaking at his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Giants coach Cam Bernasconi said he took plenty away from Roberts' visit and planned to use the message that "everyone is welcome" as a theme for his side this week.

“He’s a pretty funny guy, actually; it was a really enjoyable half an hour. The auditorium was packed, which was awesome,” Bernasconi said of listening to Roberts.

“He was here for our AFLW program, but I reckon our whole staff and everyone within the four walls made their way over.

“The way he talks about his journey and the challenges he’s had was great. 

“Something I took from it, and am probably going to use as a bit of a theme this weekend, is that Pride Round is for everyone. 

“You can dive into it as much as you like, but it’s about being inclusive and welcoming everyone into the game.”

The history of AFLW Pride Round itself is deeply rooted in the grassroots of women's football.

What began as a standalone match between Carlton and the Western Bulldogs in 2018 has since evolved into a League-wide fortnight with all 18 clubs involved.

"It's grown year on year," Lucas-Rodd said when reflecting on Pride Round's evolution.

"I was at Carlton when there was just a singular game, Bulldogs and Carlton. So, I've really seen it grow from its infancy of one game to a whole round.

"Everything that comes with it; I spoke before about visibility and representation, but education as well. We get to see different players' personalities come out and hear them talk about their journeys and stories, which provides a platform for people to learn and be educated.

"I think the AFLW does it really well, making sure that all unique individuals are embraced and able to be celebrated in Pride Round."

To shift the culture going forward, Lucas-Rodd believes fostering inclusion in Australian football must start at the grassroots level, noting that many transgender and gender-diverse athletes still do not feel safe participating in community footy.

The 2024 All-Australian urged local clubs to examine traditional binary structures, such as facility design, uniform policies and club guidelines, to remove barriers and ensure everyone can safely enjoy the sport.

"I did some stuff in the week with the Giants, and I got a few people messaging me about how community football still isn't safe for them, especially transgender and gender-diverse athletes," Lucas-Rodd said.

"So, I think that's a great place to start, just with those grassroots and community clubs, making sure that everyone's accepted."

At the elite level, Lucas-Rodd called on the AFL to leverage its influence to drive broader cultural change, reiterating their ongoing call for a dedicated Pride Round in the men's competition.

"I think the AFL, as an organisation, is so powerful in creating cultural shifts across Australia, so it can play a significant role in championing transgender and gender-diverse inclusion," they said.

“I say it every year, but introducing a Pride Round in the AFL men's competition to create more visibility and representation would be incredible.”

For Lucas-Rodd, those conversations remain at the heart of what the occasion, and the round itself, is designed to achieve.