As the final siren sounded on the AFLW’s Grand Final after season seven, Melbourne players rushed from all directions to embrace in the middle of Brighton Homes Arena.

Etched on their faces was the sheer relief and shock of winning the closest Grand Final in the league’s history, perfectly encapsulating the rollercoaster journey it took to reach the mountain top.

As one of the pioneering clubs for women’s football, the Demons always seemed poised for the ultimate success when the competition officially started in 2017.

But it would be a slow rise for Melbourne, who didn’t play in a final until 2020’s COVID-cancelled season.

They would then have to show immense mental fortitude to bounce back from devastating Preliminary and Grand Final losses at the hands of Adelaide in seasons five and six respectively to finally get their hands on the premiership.

Little did they know at the competition’s inception more than five years earlier that a then-19-year-old girl from Mount Martha running point guard on the other side of the world for Utah State’s women’s basketball team would be the catalyst for them finally getting over the hump.

Eliza West had just finished her first season of college basketball as the AFLW was gearing up for its first-ever Grand Final.

The idea of her going on to play professional football would’ve seemed preposterous.

While the AFLW was in its infant stages, West was in the middle of spending three years with the Aggies, going toe-to-toe with some of the world’s greatest women athletes including Sabrina Ionescu.

West carved out a solid career for herself with Utah State, still holding the assists record for their women’s program today.

However, for her final year, she transferred to Southeastern University and took her game to new heights, averaging 9.6 points and 5.4 assists per game, while also playing well above her size to collect 4.6 rebounds, demonstrating some of the physical attributes that have made her a dominant inside midfielder since converting to Aussie Rules.

But upon touchdown back home, West’s mind was still very much set on forging a WNBL career, as she joined the Knox Raiders in the NBL1 South with the hopes that it’d be the stepping stone needed to propel her to the national league.

However, almost overnight, basketball would begin to fade into the background, when a seemingly random opportunity to play for Melbourne’s VFLW affiliate presented itself in the pandemic.

“When I got back from America, the Melbourne list manager reached out and asked if I wanted to give footy a go, and I was like ‘yeah, sure, I’ll give it a go,’” she recalled on ‘Energetic Radio’ earlier this year.

West had not grown up with a Sherrin in her hands, and although running the show in America had shown that she was comfortable with a ball in her hand, using her feet was initially another story.

“I never grew up playing football… I thought that’s the boys’ sport.

“My brothers and my dad took me for a kick… my whole shin was red because I just kept hitting the ball with my shin, I didn’t know what to do.”

West didn’t let this deter her though, going onto play a dominant year in the VFLW for the Casey Demons in 2021, averaging 22.3 disposals and five tackles per game in 13 contests.

Her efforts saw her take home Casey’s Best and Fairest award, as well as the League’s Debbie Lee Rising Star award.

However, her biggest achievement was earning a contract for Melbourne’s AFLW side for 2022, effectively putting to rest the idea of her continuing down the path of basketball.

With her focus fully on football, West wasted little time cementing her spot in the senior side, playing every game in season six for the Dees, including the heartbreaking 13-point loss they suffered at the hands of Adelaide in the grand final.

West played a lowkey role in the defeat with just six disposals and six tackles, as a shattered Dees group that had been building to make it to this stage for so long left Adelaide Oval wondering if they’d ever get another chance at silverware.

But West was just getting her feet wet, before fully making a name for herself later that year in season seven.

In round one’s grand final rematch against the Crows, West would accumulate a then-career-high 25 disposals, as the Demons got revenge in an 18-point win.

It set the tone for a superb sophomore campaign that saw her collect 17.9 disposals throughout the course of the regular season.

The Dees would finally beat the Crows in a final before bouncing North Melbourne in the Prelim to get their way back to the big dance.

A low-scoring, gruelling game is the type of environment Eliza West thrives in, and the Grand Final against Brisbane proved that as she was Melbourne’s best player in the four-point win, with 19 disposals (12 contested possessions), seven clearances and six tackles.

As the legendary Daisy Pearce departed from the game following the premiership, West had emerged as the perfect option to pair alongside Kate Hore and Tyla Hanks in the midfield as the Dees looked ahead to defending their flag.

However, despite not missing a game since joining the team and putting forward another strong campaign with 16.3 disposals a game, West would shockingly be dropped for 2023’s qualifying final against North Melbourne.

After an embarrassing 9-50 defeat, Melbourne would quickly recall West back to the side as they looked to put their second chance to good use.

West returned with a vengeance, collecting 26 disposals in the semi-final against Geelong.

But she was unable to carry her side over the line, who fell by five points to the Cats, in what proved to be West’s final game in the red and blue.

In the wake of the shock selection call on the eve of the finals, West’s head was turned by a young Hawthorn side led by former League Best and Fairest Emily Bates.

The Hawks only entered the competition in the season West and the Dees were crowned premiers and only managed 15th and 14th-placed finishes in their first two years.

West and fellow flag hero Casey Sherriff would get their trades to Waverley Park in a move that was seen as going from a flag contender to a side still lingering in development.

But the narratives have reserved in 2024, with an injury-plagued Dees side being on the outside of the top eight from week two onwards, meanwhile, the Hawks have been a revelation, tying North Melbourne for the most wins so far.

West has relished her opportunity in new colours from day one, immediately being thrust into the leadership group as vice-captain.

The 27-year-old has led from example to put herself at the forefront of All-Australian selectors’ minds, collecting 20 or more disposals in all but two contests heading into the final game of the season, while also becoming a threat in front of the sticks, with her four goals this season more than she had kicked in her entire tenure with the Dees.

Hawthorn great Daniel Harford crowned her as the “recruit of the year” following her 23 disposals and one goal against the Gold Coast Suns in week six.

But the game West would’ve had circled on her calendar the day the fixtures were released was the week nine clash with her former side.

The Hawks entered last Thursday’s blockbuster having won six in a row, while the Demons had resurrected their season to win four in a row, as they headed to Cairns looking to keep their finals hopes alive.

Much like the grand final both West and Melbourne had won a couple of years earlier, the game was low-scoring and gruelling, and West once again thrived.

She led all-comers with 25 disposals and six clearances, helping her Hawks see off a late Melbourne comeback.

The Demons desperately lacked an inside player of West’s calibre, as they were beaten badly in the clearance battle, both at stoppage and from the centre bounce.

The result means heading into the final week of the season her former side will be dependent on other games just to have a chance at clinching eighth spot.

Meanwhile, the Hawks have already locked up an inaugural finals appearance, still having a chance to top the ladder.

West has been instrumental in Hawthorn’s ascendance, with her 22.4 disposals per game good enough for top-15 in the competition.

It was West’s shock omission heading into last year’s finals that set in motion her change of scenery a few weeks later.

Now as she embarks on a tilt at her second premiership with her new teammates, there will be very few names appearing on the team sheet before hers.

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