Just 11 days ago, Jess Duffin was representing the Melbourne Renegades in a WBBL final; fast forward to today, and she’s counting down the sleeps until the North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos’ debut match.
The former Magpie is raring to go ahead of the Roos’ clash against Carlton on Sunday at North Hobart Oval.
“(The feel around the club) is like it was before Round 1 for Collingwood a couple of years ago,” Duffin told RSN.
“It’s all a bit of an unknown, we don’t know what each team is going to be like this year, but we do know the competition’s going to be really tight.
“There’s a lot of excitement, and the fact that we get to play our first game in Tasmania is really exciting for all the girls.”
The 29-year-old utility will enter the 2019 season in impressive form, claiming the Lambert-Pearce Medal last year for the VFLW’s best and fairest player.
A proven player at both ends of the ground, Duffin says the exact position she’ll line up in against the Blues is still to be determined.
“That’s the quality thing about North Melbourne at the moment, we have so many players that are very versatile,” she said.
“Wherever I play, I’m not too fussed, as long as I’m on the park.”
Duffin has had limited time off this summer due to the overlapping schedules of the Renegades and Kangaroos, but believes she’s in tip-top shape for Round 1.
“I’ve got some really good medical staff around me who make sure I’m going ok and that I’m not overtraining,” Duffin said.
“North Melbourne and the Renegades have been in touch regularly, and I’m really enjoying the fact that I haven’t had to do much of the explaining, because it’s all been between the two fitness guys at the Renegades and North Melbourne.
“They give us GPS’ to wear, so they definitely make sure I’m not doing too many kilometres during the week, or if I need to sit out from something, they certainly allow me to do that too.”
Listen to Jess Duffin's full interview here:
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North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos v Carlton
Sunday, February 3 - 1.05pm
North Hobart Oval
