WEST AUSTRALIAN midfielder Lily Paterson will move across the country to join Port Adelaide after being taken with their first pick of the 2024 AFLW Draft.

The 18-year-old joins a number of Port Adelaide players who originated in Western Australia, such as Gemma Houghton, Abbey Dowrick and Jasmin Stewart. With players on the list having already made the move, as well as the excitement of being drafted, Paterson is not phased by the prospect.

“I’m super excited about [moving interstate],” Paterson told Rookie Me. “[It brings] new life experiences [and] new challenges. [The fact that I’m] getting to go and live with some teammates and create some good memories, [I’m] super excited.”

“All the girls have made me feel pretty comfortable, especially the other WA girls,” she said.

“I’ve spoken to them about their move and just they really enjoyed it, so no I’m not worried about it at all.”

The talented youngster was picked up with pick 19 in the draft last Monday night, her dream of becoming an AFLW listed player has come true. She explained how the excitement of being drafted hasn’t dissipated, but has increased with time.

“If anything [the excitement] has definitely increased,” Paterson explained.

“Just obviously going over on the Tuesday and meeting everyone and seeing the club has definitely just made the excitement a lot more.”

She then described how likely it was that she would be picked up by Port Adelaide.

“I didn’t know like 100 per cent, just obviously they were quite interested alongside other clubs so I wasn’t 100 per cent sure but I did have a little gut feeling towards the end of the night.”

Having come to football late after pursuing soccer and netball, Paterson described Australian Rules football as ‘another love’. The fact that she picked up the sport late and still got drafted is something that she is so proud of.

“Obviously I played other sports and as soon as I picked up footy, I just found another love for it,” she said.

“It’s just more physical, it’s just so much fun for me so I just think that first initial falling in love with the game helped with that.”

Having been one of the biggest improvers within the last twelve months, Paterson spent more time in the midfield using her solid football IQ around the contest. She described the growth she’s experienced in the last year and how she’s managed to improve out of sight.

“[If I knew that I’d be drafted back last year] I probably would have broken down and cried,” Paterson explained.

“I’m definitely my biggest critic but I am very proud of myself for how far I’ve come in just one year, I would be very happy.

“[I think it’s due to] all the hard work I’ve put in, I’ve definitely really pushed myself and my confidence grew as well through the year, which really helped with my football and just getting closer with my team, I’d say there were a lot of factors that definitely helped.”

When asked about how she’s feeling about getting to rub shoulders with some of the established talent at Port Adelaide, Paterson mentioned a young star that she’s hoping to pay alongside next season.

“[I’m] so excited to just play alongside them, train alongside them [and] get good experience and knowledge from those experienced players and even the likes of Matilda Scholz, getting a ruck tap from her would be amazing.”