
NOWRA’S Maddy Collier and her GWS Giants women’s team have hit the track for the first time ahead of the 2019 season, with their pre-season preparations beginning with a 2km time trial.
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With just over two months until the Giants take on Brisbane in round one, Thursday evening’s session was the first step in their journey towards success in the the 2019 AFLW season.
“I’m very excited,” Collier told gwsgiants.com.au.
“I think it’s been too long since we’ve been together and I’m keen to meet the new girls.
“Training goes from being those boring running sessions you have to do on your own, to being able to get out on the park with everyone and kick the footy.
“It’s a pretty exciting time of the year.”
Collier’s enthusiasm for the new season is due to her renewed outlook on the game.
“It’s easy to get caught up in how significant the competition is,” she said.
“Not that it’s a bad thing but I think I’ve proved to myself that every time I take a step back and see the bigger picture, put things into perspective and enjoy the process, I end up playing better.
"I've realised I need to not overthink what’s going on and to embrace it all and play because I love the game.
“I don’t want it to be something that stresses me out, I want to play because I enjoy it.”
The Giants’ 2018 campaign, and Collier’s time spent with Essendon's VFLW side has taught the AFL South Coast product some important lessons.
“I didn’t have the best season, but it’s actually taught me quite a lot about myself but also I guess where the level of footy is at and where it’s heading,” she said.
“The VFL was different, I’ve never experienced anything like that.
“I went down there because I wanted to take the next step.
“There was lots of learning to come out of playing in the VFLW and you get to line-up against some pretty good players so that was good, and I made a lot of new friends and lived somewhere different.
“I’m kind of just keen for the next season to start after all I’ve learned in 2018.”
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