THE move to Darwin was no easy feat for Tayla Hart-Aluni but that did not stop the young footballer from pursuing her dreams. A former netballer, Hart-Aluni decided to try her craft with footy, finding the oblong shaped ball easy to manoeuvre and relishing the freedom to run along the field, chase down players and show off her flare with ball in hand.

“I moved up to Darwin and that’s when I think the girls started making a competition. I started off as a netballer but then moving up to Darwin everyone was playing contact sports all the girls were and I just followed I guess,” she said.

Coming from netball being a non-contact sport Hart-Aluni was not fazed by the physical nature of footy and in fact took elements out of netball and applied them to her footy.

“Obviously netball is a non-contact sport,” Hart-Aluni said. “I think my marking is pretty good because of netball.”

With plenty of development still left in her, Hart-Aluni’s main aim is to improve her work at ground level to ensure she is a constant threat with her aerial skills already pretty well established.

“Definitely my ground ball, I’ve got to get lower to balls on the ground and just pick it up with one,” she said.

Representing her state at the National Championships was a milestone event for the youngster, with Hart-Aluni donning the Central Allies bib and wearing it with nothing but pride.

“It means a lot to my family and myself,” Hart-Aluni said. “I guess changing the cycle because my family they didn’t get the chance like I did and I have now. “So just making them proud and making the most of the opportunities I get.”

In honour of making the most of her opportunities, Hart-Aluni hopes to put her name forward and let the footy do the talking when it comes to draft time, with dreams to play AFLW having already playing for the Northern Territory Thunder in the VFLW.

“Hopefully just bringing my A-game and put my name on the list for the drafting that would be really good,” she said.

Hart-Aluni is crafty in front of goals able to use her speed and nous to get free of her opponent and pile on the pressure making her an exciting prospect for the future.