To say Saturday night is going to be special for Mia King would be an understatement.
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Not only will the North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos young gun be plying her trade as an AFLW player in her home city for the first time, she will do so while celebrating her own indigenous heritage.
Saturday's match against Carlton at Launceston's UTAS Stadium is part of the AFLW's first Indigenous Round, with North's jumper one which King had a role in helping come to fruition.
North's men's team midfielder and Yorta Yorta man Jy Simpkin was also part of the process.
To have Indigenous Round on my home soil, that's pretty unreal
- Mia King
It features a kangaroo paw flower on the front, which represents the resilience of the women that play, a flower which comes in different shapes and sizes to represent the unique and special women that represent North.
"That presents the idea of coming together as one no matter where you come from and sharing the passion that we all love, which is footy,'' King explained this week.
"The circles of hands represents the travel and journey that we have to take to get to where we are and the special friendships we make along the way and the boomerangs on the side represent the men's team, who have encouraged and helped us be the strong women we are today.
"The background of it also has hands for support and shields for protection and Emma also put on mine and Kate's initials, which was really special as well."
The 19-year-old said this weekend was a "a very special week just to reflect on our history and the direction our country is headed".
"The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are one of the oldest civilisations in the world and there is still so much to learn and it is really important that the AFL has included it [for the AFLW] and it should be respected and celebrated, so it will be a special week.'' she said.
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"To have Indigenous Round on my home soil, that's pretty unreal and I don't think it could have worked out any better.
"I am just pretty excited to be home and I think the girls are pretty excited and I just think it is going to be a very special week."
Round five was always scheduled to be in Tasmania, with a game against Richmond originally slated for North Hobart Oval, but the change to Launceston brought a big smile to King's face with the knowledge there would be more friends and family in the crowd.
Saturday night will be the first time King has graced the UTAS Stadium turf since she was best on ground in Launceston's TSLW grand final win last season.
"I know the ground well, as does Daria Bannister and Brooke Brown, and having a familiar ground where you have played and trained before always gives you a bit of comfort, so there is definitely a lot of excitement for me'' she said.
"Every game I walk out for in a North Melbourne jumper I am always pinching myself as I have come such a long way and am I just really excited about the opportunities I have been given, so to be able to walk out on my home turf in my North Melbourne kit will be really special."
Potentially sharing that experience with Launceston flag teammates Bannister and Brown, in what would also be their first AFLW outings in Launceston, would add another element for King.
King has played eight matches for the Roos, the last four of 2020 [including the semi-final win over Collingwood before COVID-19 cancelled the season] and the first four of this season.
The midfielder, who has spent time in attack in a crumbing forward role as well in 2021, is averaging 10.3 touches, 1.5 marks and five tackles a game this season.
"Being up in Melbourne [after relocating] with all the coaches and training with some of the best like Emma Kearney and Jas Garner and alongside those other midfielders, that has really taught me a lot,'' she said.
"I am always looking to improve and there is always things I need to work on in my game, like I need to work on my kicking and hitting targets, as well as learning a lot of the structures, but any area of the game you can look to improve on. Using the resources that are available here [at North] has been great."
Darren Crocker's side, which sits seventh, will be looking to bounce back after two straight losses on Saturday when they play the eighth placed Blues in a state where the home side has not lost in four outings.
King said learning from the mistakes from losses against Melbourne and Collingwood would be key, especially around coping with pressure better than the way they did against the Magpies in their 20-point loss.
Saturday's game will start at 7.10pm.