If building up 50 AFLW games in shortened seasons requires talent, consistent form and a dose of good luck, Alison Downie has been blessed with the trifecta.
Downie will become one of only a handful of players to reach the milestone when she suits up for our qualifying final against Brisbane this weekend.
A foundation player at Carlton, the 37-year-old has missed very few matches since the inaugural AFLW season and has played every game this year for the Pies.
"I gave myself the goal of playing three seasons in AFLW and anything after that would be a bonus," she said.
"The body is feeling really good but I’m taking it one week at a time at the moment.
"I had my doubts at times early on - being delisted is hard and at the time makes you think 'maybe I’m too old', but I’ve loved it at Collingwood.
"I’ve got back to enjoying playing football.
"(The club) signed me on knowing my age so that gave me the confidence that I still had something to give to the game and I’m continuing to give what I can."
Downie has become an important cog in the Pies midfield - averaging 14.3 hitouts and 2.4 intercepts a game - and is rightfully proud to have had such longevity.
"It makes you feel special... it's a long road to make 50 games when we have played so few games in each season," she said.
"It’s really special that I could play the first ever game and have been fortunate enough to play through six seasons to get here.
"I feel so very lucky to be playing AFLW - if (the competition) didn’t start until 2020 as it was originally planned, I don’t think I would have been playing.
"It’s a privilege to be a part of something that so many women before us put in so much hard work to bring about."
Before AFLW existed Downie was an elite basketball player, recording 326 games with the Dandenong Rangers in the WNBL.
"What I love the most about being a part of (AFLW), particularly that first season, is the fact that young girls can now aspire to be AFLW stars," she said.
"They can choose to play whatever sport they want to play and can continue to play it, they don’t have to stop at under 12’s because girls can’t play football.
"When I was a young, I didn't have that.
"I loved footy, played with the boys at primary school, did Vickick (now Auskick), but there was no competition I could play in.
"Basketball was my other love so I took that up.
"I just love seeing the kids at the games - boys and girls - knowing that men and women play footy and that’s it."
