There's little question that during the edgy offseason an ambitious Daria Bannister ran her index finger down the AFLW fixture and spotted the date the Launceston star is determined to play.
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The wait is for Saturday, February 15 when the North Melbourne-Tasmanian Kangaroos host GWS Giants at UTAS Stadium and the small forward's anticipation of playing in front of a home crowd can finally be fulfilled.
The Roos played there last season 12 months to the day, beating Western Bulldogs - briefly Bannister's side once - by 31 points to notch up a third straight win to cap off the rookie team's dream start to their maiden AFLW year.
But ongoing rehabilitation on an ACL knee injury after debuting in round 1, 2018 for the Dogs forced Bannister to watch from the sidelines.
"It's always good to play in front of a Tassie crowd," she said. "I know last year it was a great success for us and the girls loved playing there.
"So, yeah, I'm very excited to play in front of friends and family finally back home."
This time the 20-year-old is bringing back some friends.
Launceston TSLW teammates Abbey Green and Mia King are tracking well through the AFLW preseason.
The TSLW best-and-fairest winner has had no hesitation in taking old teammates under her wing to teach lessons from a turbulent two seasons.
ELSEWHERE IN SPORT
Bannister has notched up just three appearances out of a possible 15 games, but feels like a seasoned campaigner in a women's league entering only its fourth competition.
"Being around three years into the competition now, even though I haven't played much, again that experience has helped me become a much better player," she said.
"I feel I have been able to help players like Abbey and Mia come into the program, and make it a little bit easier for them to understand what it's like to be in a professional environment and what the expectations are for them.
"They have fitted in quite well and they will be able to make a good impact."
While Green, the top ruck prospect, and King, the silky 18-year-old midfielder, are a work in progress, Bannister is set to work defences around.
The strong 162cm Kangaroo wants to add eight more matches and possibly finals to make all the hard work so far and patience worthwhile.
"Obviously, I have played only the three games, which has been amazing," she said.
"But the experience off field, you definitely learn a lot more just from a coaching perspective. I feel that has made me a more confident player coming back in.
"I am able to bring in more experience not only to my playing game, but also others that are coming through."
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Andrew Mathieson
The day I realised I wasn't good enough to play for St Kilda or be the No.1 spinner for Australia was when I realised journalism was the closest I could come to follow my passion for sport. And it's not just about the scores for me. It's the back story behind the game.
The day I realised I wasn't good enough to play for St Kilda or be the No.1 spinner for Australia was when I realised journalism was the closest I could come to follow my passion for sport. And it's not just about the scores for me. It's the back story behind the game.
