SOUTH Australian forward, Katelyn Rosenzweig has always dreamed of pulling on an Adelaide Crows jumper.

Ever since she filled in for her local Under 11 boys side, the 18 year-old has not looked back, and is taking every opportunity she can to achieve every young footballer’s ultimate dream.

“Growing up, I always wanted to play for the Crows,” Rosenzweig said. “It’s so weird that it could be a reality soon.”

She was always determined even as a young Under 11s player, as she describes her initial discovery of the sport.

“I started playing football when I was about nine,” Rosenzweig said. “The reason I started was the Under 11 boys needed a spare player instead of forfeiting for the game and I just jumped in for a week and just haven’t stopped putting the guernsey on week by week since then.”

Not only has she been pulling on the guernsey for many years, the young forward has achieved monumental milestones in it too. Just last month, Rosenzweig was kicking goals for the Central Allies side in the AFL Women’s Under 18 Championships, and was named in the 48-player All Australian squad for her efforts inside 50. She said she was thrilled to have received the opportunity to represent the dual-state side.

“(I feel) pretty privileged (to get selected for Central Allies) because I know how hard everyone from SA had worked to get into the state team, let alone to come to Central Allies,” the forward said. “I just didn’t take the opportunity for granted. “I’m trying my best up here regardless of injuries or what not.”

Kicking goals is not something the 18 year-old has always being accustomed to, admitting that she spent her junior years at the other end of the ground.

“I’d been playing back line for the last three years and then my coach, Matthew Slade (North Adelaide South Australian National Football League Women’s coach) chucked me down forward for a game and I got a few on the board and he just kept putting me down there for the season,” she said. “I’m pretty happy with the improvement of my game this year compared to previous years.”

This year, Rosenzweig dominated the goal kicking for her SANFL Statewide Super Women’s team, North Adelaide. She kicked 15 goals from 11 games, four majors clear of Greater Western Sydney (GWS) midfielder, Courtney Gum, who finished in second place.  The forward admits that this is a memorable moment for her in her football career.

Rosenzweig has also improved in other areas of her game to complement her goal kicking, but is still set on improving her all-round game in order to pull on that coveted AFLW jumper.

“I’ve been told my marking ability and obviously my kick’s pretty good but definitely need to get fitter and maybe just read the play a bit earlier than I have been lately,” she said.

Playing against bigger bodies is something that Rosenzweig has had experience in, as she moved straight into a senior women’s side after finishing off playing with the boys.

“When I stopped playing, they just brought a team to Angle Vale for girls but I had to play with the senior women and get a permit to play up because I was too young,” she said.

Just last week, Rosenzweig experienced a similar feeling, running out with the NT Thunder in its  Round 12 Victorian Football League (VFL) Women’s match against Casey. The 18 year-old got on the board with two goals and also racked up 14 disposals as well as five marks in the historic clash in Alice Springs.

Highly committed to her craft, Rosenzweig travels about an hour and a half from school to football, and only rests on Monday and Fridays. With this commitment instilled on her, Rosenzweig is on the right path to achieving her lifelong dream to play Australian Rules football.