The arrival of Tasmanians Perri King and Ella Maurer in the most recent NAB AFLW Draft grew the Kangaroos' Tassie contingent to eight.
It's a group that also includes established players Ellie Gavalas, Daria Bannister and Britt Gibson, up and comers Brooke Brown and Nicole Bresnehan, and Launceston native Mia King.
Selected with the 49th pick in 2019 NAB AFLW Draft, King has wasted no time making herself a near-indispensable part of North’s midfield and forward lines.
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Still just 20 years old, King’s improvement since her Round 4 debut in 2020 has been immense, but having spent her first AFLW season based in Tasmania it has taken time for her to feel at home in the League.
“I remember being in Tassie and I wasn’t around the team all the time, so it was a bit harder to build some of those connections,” King told North Media.
“It did make an impact in my first season, not being able to see the girls. This really feels like my second season rather than my third. I definitely feel more comfortable around the girls and the environment.
“Being around the group is good, but when you have other commitments there isn’t much you can do apart from make the best of it and stay focused on the work you have to do away from the group."
Though still young herself, King is doing her best to support new recruits Perri King and Maurer.
“It’s weird because I feel like I’m trying to help them, but I’m still young myself and it’s only my second year in Melbourne,” she said.
“It is daunting to move away from your family and friends, but that’s what Perri and Ella have had to do. It does get hard.
“One of the things I love about North is that I also had a group of Tassie girls I knew when I came in, and it makes it feel a lot more like home right from the start.
“I think Ella and Perri have settled in very well, but so have all the other draftees.”
Coming to North as a midfielder, King has had to add versatility to her game with the likes of Jas Garner, Ash Riddell, Jenna Bruton, Ellie Gavalas and Emma Kearney traditionally amongst the side’s go to midfield options.
As she continues to improve, King can be expected to attend more centre bounces, more stoppages, and be right in the thick of the action in some of the game’s biggest moments.
She says she has a clear priority heading into the new season, which the Kangaroos will kick off against Geelong at Arden St Oval on Saturday, January 8.
“I definitely have a big individual goal, and that’s to make sure my teammates can rely on me in the midfield when they need a rest,” she said.
“I’ve been training off players like Jenna, Jas and Ash, so learning from them means I can fill in when they need and that creates a spot in the midfield for me.
“I’ve also been working really hard on being able to play half-forward, because we like everyone to be able to play multiple roles.
“Last year at times it felt a bit segregated moving from the backs, to the mids, to the forwards. We’re really focusing on that connection to help make the game more open for us as a group."
