AFL.com.au's Sarah Black spent three days with the Australian team as it prepared to take on the Irish in last Saturday's representative footy clash. This is what she saw.

UP ON the screen was a photo of two little girls, one blonde, one with dark, almost black hair.

Sitting, chatting, in their red football uniforms of the Romsey Redbacks, a helmet trying in vain to corral the blonde curls.

"That's me, obviously with 'Mads'. It feels like she's always been a part of my journey and has really paved the way," Georgie Prespakis – now grown up, the curls in a ponytail – told the room of 25 of the best footballers in the country.

"I always wanted to follow in her footsteps, she's always been my biggest supporter, and I'm grateful for her."

Australian senior assistant coach Daisy Pearce had asked her charges to submit a photo that showed what they were grateful for in their football journey, which had seen them make the first national elite senior women's side.

Mon Conti picked a photo of her playing junior national basketball, explaining she'd always wanted to go on and play for the Opals, but missed out. Making it to the Australian AFLW team was just as good.

Ellie McKenzie and Tyla Hanks both had photos of themselves and their brothers, playing for Fitzroy and Beaconsfield respectively.

Charlie Thomas' pic was of her alongside West Coast teammate Emma Swanson, chairing off Dana Hooker – a nod to the AFLW players who had come before her, and would have loved to have had the opportunity to play in a national team.

Someone in a Collingwood jumper appeared on the screen to laughs. They were dead asleep in the way only a little kid can, with a footy on their pillow.

"Yeah, this is me," Ash Riddell said in her distinctive Australian drawl, to even louder (but empathetic) laughter.

"I was obsessed with footy as a kid, and probably similar to Jas (Garner), slept with a footy, lived and breathed it, and not being able to play through your teenage years, because girls weren't allowed to play footy – coming here, being so grateful for the opportunity that I didn't have as a kid is pretty cool."

Sophie Conway submitted the last photo taken with her parents before her mum, Christine, was diagnosed with brain cancer. She passed away in 2016.

"She never actually got to witness me getting drafted to the Lions, so to now be in the position to represent my country, I hold it pretty special. I play a lot for her and my dad, Johnny boy, who flies around everywhere and doesn't miss a game," Conway said.

Matilda Scholz also looked to her mum, "going a bit rogue" and opting for a photo of Peta Squire in full flight playing netball for Australia, rather than one involving Matilda herself. 

"I like seeing how far women's sport has come. They were paid f*** all, and we have this big event and can play against Ireland. She's obviously a massive supporter of me – I'm really proud of what she was able to achieve in her sporting career, and she's the same for me," she said.

Senior coach Darren Crocker commanded the room, two days out from the inaugural match between Australia and Ireland.

"Just sitting back and listening those stories – you're all here, and it's great representing Australia, and that's what we're here to do. But you've also got other stuff that you're actually playing for as well, which is really, really special," he said.

"I want you to go out and play and showcase how far this game has come in 10 seasons. You're all here for a reason, so let's get rid of the imposter syndrome. You're all here because you deserve to be here, representing your country."

One game, many reasons.

----

The players, coaches and support staff had descended on the Pullman Hotel near Hyde Park, Sydney, on Thursday morning.

Players made introductions and caught up with old friends, Pearce making her way over to her former Melbourne teammates.

Melbourne's Tahlia Gillard, Richmond's Ellie McKenzie and St Kilda's Tyanna Smith met coach Crocker for the first time, the key defender Gillard managing to just pip the former North Melbourne key forward for height.

Handbooks were given out with schedules, contact numbers and headshots of players and staff, drawn from across the League.

Courtney Cramey was set to look after the midfielders, nine years after she played in the last AFLW representative match between the Allies and Pearce and Garner's Victoria.

Ben Brown – who played in the last AFL International Rules match – was there for the forwards, and Sydney's Tanya Hetherington for the defenders, with North Melbourne assistants Nick Devereux and Regan Kerslake brought up by Crocker as analyst and runner respectively.

St Kilda AFL/W dietician Meg Crocker – the daughter of Darren – was in charge of the food, coordinating dietary requirements and game-day snack requests with her counterparts across the League.

The most popular staff member was five-month-old Joni, daughter of Greater Western Sydney media manager Tilly Werner. 

The function room which served as a home base was split in half, with six round tables for eating food and chatting, while the other side held rows of chairs.

The coaching panel held a meeting after lunch on Thursday, sitting around a projector screen on the "auditorium" side of the room.

Devereux moved through the slide deck while Crocker talked it through to his assistants. Having worked together for four years, he knew when Crocker was about to remember a follow-up point, and flicked back and forth through the slides seamlessly.

The coaches had already formulated an "identity" for the team: "a clinical team that is competitive, organised and controls every aspect".

Even headsets and phone communication were discussed in the meeting, making sure everyone was clear on how game day was going to run.

"You've just got to make sure he wears the headset the whole time and doesn't take it off," the otherwise quiet Devereux quipped to Cowan, after Crocker declared he would coach from the bench, with Pearce running point in the box.

Rotation groups were discussed, and basic structures shown to the coaching group: forward 50, defensive 50 stoppage, centre ball-ups and kick-ins, with Hetherington chipping in on the small dimensions of the ground.

Later, the players filed into the room. Chair of selectors Debbie Lee opened proceedings.

"To get selected to wear the green and gold is a pretty big thing, you all know that. It's the first time we're doing this. It's etched in history, and in the AFLW competition, we've always had moments, haven't we? And this is another moment. So I really encourage you all to embrace that," she said.

"You probably never thought that you're going to be running through the race with some of the players who are sitting next to you, and that's a really cool thing. You're all here because you're amazing footballers. You represent the AFLW exceptionally. You're not here by accident. 

"In 2006, we took a team to Ireland, and we played with a round ball. We got thumped, absolutely thumped, and you see some of the players here, might have played with them. There's Mo Hope, there's 'Dais', there's 'Hutchy' (Meg Hutchins). Funnily enough, Cora (Staunton) played for the Irish team, so that's really cool. 

"There's two things in common from 2006 to 2026: pride and privilege in the jumper, and the connection of the group."

Crocker then took control, taking the playing group through a streamlined version of the gameplan and points he had presented to the coaches earlier that day.

"We're going to control every aspect of this game. But we've got to be critical. We've got to be calm. We've got to have composure to be able to play the way we want to play," he said.

"Every single one of you is here because you've got this will to win. But you know what differentiates probably you from a lot of the other players in the competition? You're not scared of making mistakes. You're not scared of failing."

----

On a trip out to Lane Cove West for an Auskick clinic, Ebony Marinoff astounded her new teammates with a seemingly photographic memory for everyone's football boots and junior football clubs.

"Asics menace", she told a baffled Harriet Cordner, before rattling off styles and models of boots for everyone around her.

"You played for Maroochydore, you had that jumper with a kangaroo on the front," she said to Tahlia Randall, who shook her head in bemusement.

At the clinic, a very competitive Randall nearly cleaned up a kid while playing "protect the nest", before working out a tactical plan with another on how to "steal" as many footballs as possible.

Zippy Fish took the facilitator's instructions to jump like a kangaroo literally, even clasping her hands in front.

"Excuse me, it's not tunnel ball, it's a very sophisticated game called coast to coast," a dry Mim Strom said. 

"I don't know if you saw, but I kicked a lot of goals. They'll be the only goals I'll kick this weekend."

Ellie McKenzie took her training duties seriously, mixing up high and low balls for the kids to run on to.

One earnest eight-year-old boy decked out in Geelong merchandise hunted down Georgie Prespakis and Nina Morrison, eager for a photo with his Cats heroes, while an older girl convinced Matilda Scholz to film a TikTok dance with her.

After signing headshot posters for the kids, Morrison picked up her own and took it around to her teammates, keen for a souvenir.

"I'm extremely excited, I still can't believe I'm here. Just soaking it all in, and can't wait to get out there on Saturday," sole Saint Tyanna Smith said.

"When I got told I was in the team, I literally thought it was a prank. I was shocked. 

"Tyla Hanks and I played junior footy at Beaconsfield together, I would have been about 14, she's three years older than me. It's a long way from Beaconsfield, but I could have told you that she would have been playing for Australia one day, she had that talent from a young age."

---

It's not hyperbole to say the ball barely hit the deck during the captain's run on Tramway Oval. 

Veteran Harriet Cordner is an inaugural AFLW player, who was signed as a soccer-playing rookie, and at 34 is still getting better every season.

"I never would have pictured this 11 years ago, being a rookie for Melbourne. We just had a photo with all the people who have played for Melbourne over the years, 'Debbo' (Lee) was in it, and she was the one who brought me across to Melbourne. So it's pretty full circle," Cordner said.

"We just did some aerial contest stuff and working it out from the backline. You're so used to it being built off connection and personalities, and I think we all understand that, so we brought the energy. I think we're going to have some fun connecting with each other.

"From a backline perspective, I'm keen to play with Bre Koenen. She's already brought the energy, she seems like a lot of fun, a bit of banter on the field already. I've loved watching her play over her career. I never thought I'd play with her."

All camp, Marinoff was inseparable from best friend Maddi Gay, the weekend providing the first opportunity for the pair to play together.

"We met through Ruby Schleicher. 'Mads' and 'Rubes' played at St Kilda Sharks together, back in the day, and that was Ruby's first year at the Sharks, having moved over from Western Australia. We're still really close with Ruby, but we've hit it off from there," Marinoff said.

Gay said she "did a naughty" and facetimed Marinoff when she found out she was in the Australian team, breaking an embargo.

"You called me, and you were being suss," Marinoff said.

"The Bombers leadership was going to change this year, and we'd spoken about that. She said, 'Are you going to season launch?' and I was like 'Get f***ed, you're captain.' And she was like 'No, something else. I'm playing for Australia'. 

"You see the game get announced, and you don't know what the selection process is going to be. When I found out 'Mads' was playing, I desperately wanted to be in this team. Before that, it was 'It is what it is'."

----

As a surprise for the players, Australian player development manager Amelia Todhunter had organised letters from home, stacked high in a pile of yellow A4 envelopes.

"I had a moment this arvo to be alone, sit and reflect on all the people who have played a part in my journey. Although I've got myself to this position to represent Australia, there's been so many people along the way that I'm so grateful for," Prespakis said.

"My parents are always really hard on me (about football), so for them to say some kind words and the way they support me now is something I appreciate a lot.

"I get quite emotional, every time I talk about my family, and Maddy in particular. I feel like people know her for the great footballer she is, but she's such a great person and has always been in my corner. As I've got a little bit older and been in the AFLW a little longer, I understand how much she means to me and how important it is to support each other. It's such a hard game we play, and she's always been there for me. 

"I know for a fact she'll certainly be in my shoes one day, and she'll be able to wear the green and gold, and I can't wait for her to get to experience this."

----

Far from any nerves being on show, the game-day stroll and stretch around Hyde Park was punctuated by talk about timing around the post-match function, and more importantly, whether they were going to get ready at the ground or back at the hotel.

"Do I have to bring all my hair stuff to the ground? It's not all going to fit in my backpack," Scholz said

"Just chuck it in a Woolies bag," Conway countered.

One coach reminded the players there'd be a post-match period of photos and autographs, and Conway's zingers continued.

"The only content I'm interested in is with the trophy."

As skipper, Garner was questioned on her preference.

"I'm easy, it'll only take me 10 minutes to get ready. You decide 'Tilds', you'll take the longest."

Local Chloe Molloy was quizzed on the suitability of the North Sydney Oval facilities for a whole squad of 25 to get ready to go out.

While this was all going on, Pearce declared herself on "poo duty", pointing out the dog poo scattered in the grass to whoever walked nearby.

She then wandered off, leaving Gay to shove high performance manager Aaron Kellet in the back as he nearly came a cropper.

In the end, Crocker – a father of four – cut through the hubbub, making an executive decision to return to the hotel post-match.

----

Randall sat in the North Sydney home locker room with a hairspray can in hand, applying it to both her hair and her fresh (and slippery) socks.

Conway strode back in from checking out the dimensions of the ground: "She's tight, isn't she? You're f***ing kidding me."

Strom methodically strapped her shin guard, while Thomas tossed up between her short and long-sleeve guernseys.

Marinoff joined in on the hairspray action, applying it to Garner's soles, while Prespakis stretched her back on a foam roller.

On the stacked snack table, Meg Crocker had laid out a smorgasbord: caffeine gum (which Libby Birch introduced to a blown-away Conway), energy gels, fruit chews, dates, muesli bars, milo bars, LCMs, rice cakes, pikelets, popcorn, pretzels, jam sandwiches, fruit.

Kellet took the players through a series of dynamic stretches in the small changeroom, a tetris of limbs woven out in front of him.

Randall rose to swing her legs and loosen her hips, reassuring "my legs aren't that long, I won't hit you", but accidentally whacking Marinoff with her arm instead.

The Crow recovered quickly, dancing out to the formal on-field warm-up with Courtney Hodder.

Trainers checked their kits, Pearce hugged players, while Birch was so relaxed she decided to discuss publication deadlines for this feature. 

Thomas and Roberts mock-pushed each other around, McKenzie was laser focused with Conti, exchanging handballs. Gillard shuffled back and forth, practicing her defensive footwork, while many, many last-minute toilet trips were taken.

The laid-back Chelsea Biddell finally came to life, striding round the room hi-fiving players and slapping teammates on the back, before Crocker called them in one last time.

----

Post-match, Debbie Lee "delivered the baby" to the rooms, carrying in the cup, and there was great consternation when it was realised that no official song had been selected.

While Molloy tried to get 'Untouched' by The Veronicas happening, in the end 'I Am Australian' was bellowed out, the players and staff arm in arm. Marinoff ended the song with an 'Aussie Aussie Aussie' chant.

"I'm OK, my voice isn't too great," Prespakis croaked, having only played in the first half.

"We had a handball chain early in the second quarter inside 50, and I just copped one to the throat. Lost a bit of breath as the quarter went on, and got ruled out unfortunately."

Strom's set to face Scholz – the two best rucks in the competition – in round one, but for a few days, the pair were able to set their rivalry aside.

"It was so fun, I wanted an extra quarter. Not because we were winning, but playing with the best, versing such talented Irish, it was just a really fun game. It was great there were lots of goals scored. To be tapping down to such a talented midfield was really fun," Strom said.

"It's weird that we're coming up against each other in round one. She's such a great person, she loves a laugh, and she's just always having fun on the field, which I appreciate. Hopefully the mids enjoyed our work out there. 

"We didn't get to spend much time together on the field, but I tried to set her up for a big one (speccy). We discussed how much we enjoy going up against each other, because it brings out the best in each other. She's incredible."

Burgers, beers and Hard Solos in hand, the players chatted away.

Birch removed her strapping tape.

Morrison rubbed at the blue paint staining her leg.

Koenen admired the cup.

For all the reasons to play the game: family, friends, teammates, players who had come before, players who are still to come, a celebration of AFLW, of Irish sporting history, of the game itself.

The afterglow of a match, played with the best in the country, might be the most special and privileged of all.