{"id":148722,"date":"2023-12-21T13:02:06","date_gmt":"2023-12-21T03:02:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/?p=148722"},"modified":"2023-12-21T13:02:09","modified_gmt":"2023-12-21T03:02:09","slug":"weston-turners-western-dream-a-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2023\/12\/21\/weston-turners-western-dream-a-reality\/","title":{"rendered":"Weston-Turner’s Western dream a reality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NEW Bulldog Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner<\/a> was grinning from ear to ear after she was the first pick in Monday night\u2019s AFLW Draft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A life long Western Bulldogs fan, she said that the fact they drafted her means the world to her and her family. Growing up being a Doggies supporter she probably couldn\u2019t have asked for anything better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She wrote a list of goals at the start of the year, but getting drafted at the first pick was not on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t really mean that much to me,” she said. I\u2019m obviously so grateful for it, but I didn\u2019t care if I went pick 1 or 100, I just wanted to get a jumper on my back and I\u2019ve been lucky enough to get picked up by the team I\u2019ve been supporting my whole life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was not the smoothest draft year for Weston-Turner, with injury putting a line through a chunk of her year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She admitted that she was not expecting to go at pick one after missing as much footy as she did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t have thought I\u2019d be in this position,” she said. “It\u2019s obviously just a credit to myself and I\u2019m so proud that I just got to work on what I could do and come back and perform because I knew people would be watching and again it\u2019s paid off and here I am.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She did confirm though that her goal had been to get back in time to play the National Championship games for Vic Metro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was definitely my end goal,” she said. “It was something I wanted just so I could really showcase what I could do and I know that there would be people watching and so I just wanted to get myself in the best possible frame for that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weston-Turner will have a familiar face when she walks into Whitten Oval for the first time, with the young star lucky enough to call Bulldogs legend Chris Grant<\/em><\/strong> a former coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cObviously Chris coached me at local and obviously saw that potential in me and I\u2019m just so glad I\u2019ve got that personal connection with him, and seeing him around the club will mean a lot more to me than just saying hello. So it\u2019s really special,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After she got drafted she said that Grant had said \u201che just told me he was proud of me and they\u2019re happy to have me and it just means the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite ultimately staying in Victoria Weston-Turner had nominated nationally, and she said she did so to give herself the opportunity to potentially have a fresh start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think probably just to get away and get a fresh start,” she said. “I reckon in my thoughts it was just get away and start fresh and meet new people and what an experience that would be and how cool and amazing it would be to live in a different state and I know I\u2019d have my family at home but I know they have my best interests at heart and I know that they\u2019d still come up and see me and I\u2019d still be able to come down and see them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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