THOUGH she is yet to play a South Australian National Football League (SANFL) Women’s game, State Academy member Rosie Boon is excited about the prospect in 2022. The former basketballer was a late convert to football, and now she is focused on making it her number one sport, having chosen the oblong ball over the round one due to the atmosphere for the Redlegs.

The Norwood tall has not been in the pathway as long as some others, but has enjoyed every moment, and is thriving on the additional pressure that comes with stepping up from juniors, to seniors. She has been training with the Redlegs’ senior women’s squad this preseason, and is just eyeing off improvement in 2022.

“Basically I started playing footy a couple of years ago for Hectorville Football Club,” Boon said. “From there, I moved into the Under 16s Norwood Development squad as an over-ager I was 17. “Then from there I moved into the women’s squad as well.”

Before this preseason, Boon had split her time between both of her Norwood loves, the Redlegs, and Flames in the NBL1 competition. But now she has set her sights on 100 per cent football, and trying to crack into a strong Norwood outfit.

“I’ve been playing basketball for a long time now,” Boon said. “I’ve just finished up actually, I’m not playing anymore. “I was playing for Norwood Flames and some of the skills go in between (the sports). “But I’m done with basketball now.”

Having played as a midfielder through her junior career at the Redlegs, Boon has begun training as a ruck, to utilise not only her height, but her athleticism as well.

“I think I’ve been put more in ruck this year,” she said. “I’m used to playing as a smaller midfielder, but they’ve moved me into ruck and tall forward.”

She describes her strengths as her height, vertical leap, and modestly “sort of fast”, making her the modern-day ruck prototype. She said she loved the atmosphere of football and was building her footy craft to catch up to the rest of the squad.

“I found it more fun,” Boon said. “There’s a lot more physicality, and the girls as well. Its a better atmosphere and community at footy, it’s a lot more fun.

“Everybody’s way ahead of me I feel on the understanding of the game, but I’m working on improving that.”

A member of the State Under 18s Academy, Boon said she enjoyed her time amongst girls “her own age” and described it as “lots of fun”.

“We only played three games, there was a trial game but we only played three games. It was pretty short, but it was a good experience, and a good opportunity to have,” she said.

Boon’s focus over the preseason has been her marking, and said she was hoping to get more vocal when out on the field.

“Definitely my marking (is an improvement),” Boon said. “I fumble it quite a bit if I’m honest, and my talk, I’m very quiet on the field and I should probably speak up a bit.”

As for her preseason with Norwood, Boon relished the extra responsibility being in the senior squad, and was looking forward to the 2022 SANFLW season that kicks off in early February.

“It was a big jump in demands, and it’s pretty difficult, but I’ve got to know a few of the girls and they’re really nice,” Boon said. “The whole group’s nice and I’m actually enjoying it. “I thought it would be a lot more pressure, and there is pressure, but it’s enjoyable, it’s fun.

“I just want to become the best I can be. “I’m trying out for the state team, that should be good. “Training with them, but I just want to improve.”