Ava Curtis is the first to admit she did not expect to be in the Tasmanian representative side.
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Playing her first year of senior football after a year off, the 18-year-old was shocked to make the NTFA squad, so the Tasmanian team is an added bonus.
"I wasn't really expecting to go this far with footy this year, only playing for fun for Old Scotch, so it's a privilege to be able to play for Tassie on Saturday," she said.
"I played in the two rep games for the NTFA, which was also a surprise to start with ... and when they read out Saturday's team, it was a great surprise as well."
Also a highly-touted cricketer, having made her Tasmanian second XI debut last season, Curtis played junior football and only returned this year to keep her fitness up.
A Launceston Grammar Student, she faced a tough decision between joining Old Scotch or Old Launcestonians.
However, a strong connection from her junior footy days at East Launceston had Curtis joining the Thistles.
"I've loved playing for Old Scotch, coached by Will Edwards who coached my under-17 East Launnie team a couple of years ago," she said.
"There's obviously a lot of girls my age, so I'm enjoying the social aspect of it as well as on-field, they are a great group of girls."
Curtis' connections don't stop there, having been Cricket North premiership teammates with state coach Deb Reynolds.
"Back when I first started for South, Deb was a huge part of my cricket career," she said.
"She's a great role model, she goes about everything the right way.
"When I was playing under-17s for East Launceston a couple of years ago, I got the opportunity to be runner when Deb was coaching Old Scotch, so it's great to know her - she's lovely."
So how does Curtis play her football?
For Old Scotch, she's been playing on-the-ball as a midfielder while drifting into the back-line rotation.
In the NTFA representative game, she was in the middle and up forward, which is something she will be doing more of on Saturday.
"I'm looking to play in the forward-line as a small forward, which is something that I haven't done too much of," she said.
"My strength is using my overheard marking ability and speed on the ground as well."
Josh Partridge
As a sports-mad fan who loves to remain challenged, sports journalism always seemed the path for me and it's allowed me to do things I never thought possible. A keen racquet sports player, I'm experienced in that field, allowing me to do my job at a strong standard.
As a sports-mad fan who loves to remain challenged, sports journalism always seemed the path for me and it's allowed me to do things I never thought possible. A keen racquet sports player, I'm experienced in that field, allowing me to do my job at a strong standard.
