A LATE bloomer to the sub-elite junior footballing pathways, Abbey Tregellis has never lost the hunger to reach the AFL Women’s. Overlooked as a top-ager and over-ager at the Dandenong Stingrays, then a third draft went by without result after a successful year at the Southern Saints and now, off the back of her best year yet, the Sandringham Zebras midfielder is hoping her luck can change.

“It would be pretty cool (to get drafted),” Tregellis told Rookie Me Central. “My dad played in the Under 19s for St Kilda and we’ve always followed them, so the passion and drive I have towards footy stems to him which would just be a dream. “But my competitiveness and my drive I suppose is something that really leads me to keep following this dream.”

Tregellis has not been invisible to AFLW clubs over the years, earning interest particularly in her over-age campaign with the Stingrays in 2023, before somewhat being left in the wilderness of unknown last season. A breakout campaign at VFLW level with the Zebras resulted in the explosive and contested ball-winner regaining that interest, having now trained on at both St Kilda and Richmond over recent seasons.

“I have had involvements with the interviews in 2023 with clubs and it was kind of like a backup pick I suppose,” she said. “So if someone was to be taken before me then clubs were going to potentially take me. “It quietened down over last year a little bit, I didn’t hear too much. “But now this year again its starting to pick up which is nice.”

Tregellis has been used to the school of hard knocks, starting football post-global pandemic when the former dancer was unable to continue that amidst the uncertainty and she refocused her attention. While she had started playing back in 2019 with Bonbeach, Tregellis started to rapidly improve with the Stingrays in her second season.

While the Stingrays utility was no stranger to representation – she had won her local league and Bonbeach club best and fairest in her first Under 16s season, she captained her Frankston District Junior Football League club over the next couple of years, albeit with 2020 wiped out.

Playing a starring role in the 2021 interleague team, Tregellis was right on the radar of the Stingrays recruiters, having been left off the list as a bottom-ager, but then returned and earned that chance in 2022. She played a full season with the Stingrays and though overlooked in her top-age draft, returned back to Dandenong for an overage season, while being on the Southern Saints’ list and training with St Kilda.

“I think my first year at Rays, there wasn’t too much exposure of me and I didn’t really have too much interest,” Tregelilis said.

“I think it was a decision made by the coaches at the Stingrays  as well as Southern Saints because I was training with the Southern Saints in 2022 but I didn’t play,” she said. “It was just like a train-on while I was playing Coates League to get some experience, but it was good having the bigger bodies for VFL developing in that aspect rather than Coates League.

“It was a very different game, it was good having a balance of both and then transitioning fully to the club after I finished with the Stingrays was a lot easier because I had already been training there for a few years.”

In that time, Tregellis began moving into a new role from midfielder to tall forward/ruck with the Stingrays, but then eventually went full circle back on-ball. It was a similar story at VFLW level where the talented athlete was playing forward, before moving into a midfield role last season with the Saints. Now a Zebra – same club, new name – Tregellis produced a breakout campaign to finish third in her side’s best and fairest.

“Overall it was a great year because we hadn’t made finals the last few years that I had been there anyway, so it was great to see that development,” she said. “Personally, it was great to learn a lot of the midfield craft as I said before Andy (Andy Farrall) my coach I wouldn’t have been able to do it without him.

“He was our midfield line coach, he would stay back with me after training for hours. “Sometimes we were there until 11pm just talking about the craft. “He was really great.”

Outside of football, Tregellis is heavily into health and wellbeing, sharing her experiences and life lessons on social media, a medium that has helped grow her personal business where she both creates content and models in the fitness and health space.

“I love being active and I love health and wellbeing so I do a lot of work around that,” she said. “I also love creating content so I do a lot of social media about fitness and footy and people like-minded, I love interacting with them. “I do a lot of modelling and then is very fun, that ties into footy a lot because a lot of its fitness based so working with brands that align with me is really cool.”

Fittingly, Tregellis said learning to “be an athlete” was the key differential between what the current day Zebra knows compared to what the former day Stingray did not.

“Training more like an athlete rather than just going to the gym or going for runs just because,” she said. “Also looking after my body more, so prioritising recovery, making sure I’m fueling my body right.

“I remember I never used to eat before trainings back in the Stingrays’ days and I didn’t realise how much importance that actually has on your performance, so definitely touching on the little things, like the one percenters that really help you develop as a player.”

Tregellis is leaving no stone unturned in her desire to reach the top level. She has a personal trainer at her local gym where she works on her power and strength, while following Sandringham’s running sessions.

“It’s a bit of balance and the club really supports that and they talk to your PTs and make sure its all in alignment and what not,” she said.

“A few years ago I wasn’t training like an athlete I suppose. “I would go to the gym and I’d do my running, but it wasn’t specific to football and being like a midfielder where you have to sprint, run, sprint, run. “The programs have become a lot more specific for my role and that’s really helped me gain that speed, that power, but also that endurance for a midfielder.”

While Tregellis has ties to both St Kilda (AFLW train-on in 2023-24) and Richmond (AFLW train-on in 2025), the bayside local said she would have no qualms relocating interstate if it meant reaching the elite level. As a teenager coming through the pathway, the prospect of moving hundreds or thousands of miles away from family and friends was daunting, but with greater life experience, she is ready for the transition.

“Yeah absolutely (I would move interstate),” she said. “A few years ago I wouldn’t have looked at doing that, but I’m 21 now and I would definitely move interstate to play footy.”

Tregellis is currently in the middle of her teaching degree, with education – perhaps around the health and wellbeing space – in her future. When asked about her ideal life going forward, she said balancing her spot and career is the perfect scenario.

“I’d love to chase that AFL goal. I would love to make that a career and really prioritise that,” she said. “So definitely in that industry, and then I’d love to teach people in some sort of way about health and fitness, I really love that and I could talk about that all day. In some aspects whether that’s personal training or going to some sort of coaching I would really love to aspire to do that.”

Having been overlooked at three drafts so far, Tregellis has “no expectations” at next month’s AFLW Draft. She has been in contact with various clubs throughout 2025 off the back of a breakout season, but realises “whatever happens, happens” and that career path is outside of her control.

“I feel like anything could happen, lots of talks can be had,” she said. “I’ve just got to be happy with what I’ve got at the moment and I love my footy and I love playing for the Zebras so whatever happens, happens and I’ll be happy.”

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