Miss Staunton said she is "honoured" to be a part of the squad, which features 30 of the most talented 17-year-old players from right around the country.

"We (the 30 players) come together in high performance camps and we use our skills we already have and skills we learn in the academy to play games right around the country," she said.

Having started playing AFL when she was just six years old in Ulladulla, Miss Staunton went on to play for the boys under 9s and under 11s competition as a young girl.

"I played for the boys because there was no junior girls competition," she said.

However when she turned 15, she was no longer allowed to play for the boys.

"I had to wait until I was 17 to play for the senior girls competition," she said.

Hoping to play AFL professionally in the future, Miss Staunton said it has been her dream to play for the AFLW, something she has spent the past years trying to achieve.

"I really put my mind to it recently and it's something I am hoping to do in the future," she said.

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Miss Staunton is also a part of the Greater Western Sydney Giants academy, which has seen her play AFL at the official AFLW facilities in Sydney.

She said being a part of the academy has helped her grow her skills in the game.

"We get to play games with elite professional coaches and use the full-on proper facilities," she said.

Players such as Alyse Parker and Tarni Evans from the AFLW have been role models for Miss Staunton, as she has grown her skills in the game.

"Players like Tarni Evans who is only 21 and in her second season, is already winning awards is a huge inspiration to me," she said.

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But it is not just AFL which has seen Miss Staunton strive, as according to her father, Damien Staunton, she is a "really good surfer".

In fact, Miss Staunton is so skilled in surfing, she recently won the Australian Open Championships in 2022 for surfing.

"It's something else I love doing and I'm now qualified for the ICA World Title in El Salvador for surfing," she said.

At just 17-years-old, Miss Staunton has been busy with her surfing and AFLW academies while completing her HSC at school.

Using a whiteboard at home, she said she was able to plan her time accordingly, allowing her to get her school studies done while training for the games.

"When we would be travelling to Canberra or Sydney, I would wait until I had reception, then get out my laptop and get some work done," she said.

"I got a little car sick, but I had to get it done."

For Miss Staunton, her career in AFL and surfing is just kicking off, but in 10 years, she hopes to be playing AFL at a professional level and continuing to compete in surfing competitions.

"In 10 years, hopefully I'll still be playing AFL, doing lots of talks in schools and hopefully winning a world title in surfing," she said.

"That would be pretty cool."

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