Greater Western Sydney star Haneen Zreika used to play under a fake name.
Introduced to Australian rules football at 15, the AFLW forward was too young to play in her local competition.
Now 'Naz Wilson' is set to reach the 50-game milestone when the Giants play Richmond at Swinburne Centre on Sunday.
"I didn't think I would be playing elite sport, let alone play AFL," Zreika said on Thursday.
"I played rugby league my whole life and then 13, 14, 15, I couldn't play with the boys anymore.
"One day, a guy came from the AFL to deliver a program for the boys and my teacher goes, 'Do you want to get out of class?'.
"The guy that was there goes, 'She should play', 'Nah, she plays NRL', 'Nah, let's get her down to a local team'.
"I couldn't play because I was only 15. You had to be 17 and I said to one of the girls, 'Can I play and you put me under a fake name?'.
"She's like, 'yeah'."
Born and bred in western Sydney, Zreika was picked up by the Giants as a rookie with pick No.1 in 2017.
Delisted the following year without making her debut, the 25-year-old was drafted again after a strong showing in the local competition and has gone on to become a constant in the Giants line-up.
Zreika, the league's first Muslim player, made headlines in 2022 after opting out of playing in the AFLW Pride Round for religious reasons but says the club provides an inclusive environment.
"I used to shy away. I never used to tell the club 'I need to pray'. I just wanted to fit in," Zreika said.
"But then I realised that this is an inclusive environment.
"I can be who I am, and they can be who they are."
In May, Zreika oversaw a local tournament with more than 150 high school-aged girls to encourage more young women of colour to pick up the game.
"I wanted to do that for a long time, to create a pathway for diverse girls just like me," she said of the inaugural Haneen Zreika Cup.
"Young girls like me don't really get the opportunity.
"If it wasn't for the Auburn Giants, I would never get this opportunity.
"I want to pay it forward."
The rebuilding Western Bulldogs take on Port Adelaide on Friday, before GWS, who lead the league on a monster percentage of 800, take on the Tigers on Sunday.
On Saturday, Melbourne reunite with rivals Brisbane, Daisy Pearce's West Coast play Essendon and Collingwood go head-to-head with Hawthorn.
Also on Sunday, Gold Coast do battle with Carlton, early premiership favourites North Melbourne host Geelong and St Kilda take on Sydney.
Competition heavyweights Adelaide make the trip west to play Fremantle in the final fixture of the round.
