FROM a youngster obsessed with hockey to now being on the verge of playing her 100th game for Brisbane, Sophie Conway has forged an incredible career to date.
The 27-year-old was drafted following the competition's inaugural season in 2017 and quickly became a mainstay of the successful Lions outfit.
She has been a part of two premierships (2021 and 2023) and been named an All-Australian twice (2023 and 2024) as one of the best wingers in the AFLW.
"It's incredibly special," Conway said ahead of her milestone against St Kilda on Saturday.
"I pinch myself I'm at this moment.
"There's only 10-15 girls in the comp that have hit 100, so to be in that calibre is something I'll think about after the game and in the off-season."
It hasn't all been smooth sailing. Conway suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament ahead of her second season in 2018 and spent a year on the sidelines.
Overall though, she concedes she's been "incredibly lucky". This will be the first of nine seasons Conway has played in where she hasn't been to the finals.
She will be the fourth Lion to reach 100 games after Ally Anderson, Bre Koenen and Shannon Campbell.
"I've run with the joke that I'm a 'Nog', a Nearly OG, and to hit the 100 club not long after those girls who have paved the way from the get-go, I've looked up to all of them … is pretty special," she said.
"To Craig (Starcevich) and (former Brisbane head of women's football) Bre Brock, I wasn't playing too much footy when I got picked up. I was heavily focused on hockey … and to be in this position 10 seasons later is really cool and something I'll carry with me for a very long time."
Her own harshest critic, Conway says this season has been a difficult one, with the Lions battling injury and form on the way to a 3-7 record ahead of the final two rounds.
Conway gathered an incredible 15 first-quarter disposals to pave the way for last Saturday's win over Port Adelaide before being tagged the rest of the game.
"I've been quite frustrated with my own season," she said.
"Getting a hard tag is frustrating. The next step is working through it and if I want to consistently be a good player I've got to fight through it and find a way.
"It was a good learning curve.
"I, hand on heart, don't feel like I've played my best footy. That first quarter on the weekend was an example of the capabilities I can go to.
"The reality is sometimes you can't be at the top all the time. It's how we go about it now and keep learning and I feel like we've been able to do that this year."
