IT HAS been a busy fortnight for Sydney recruit Montana Ham. Taken with the prized No.1 pick on draft night, the talented youngster has used her school holidays to get to know her new teammates and city.

"It's been a whirlwind, the couple of weeks post-draft," Ham told womens.afl.

"But yeah, I'm super thrilled to be here. Everyone's been so welcoming. The girls around the club have welcomed me with open arms and everyone's so lovely."

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As part of welcoming its women's program to the club, Sydney brought together its full complement of players - women and men alike - for an inner-sanctum induction. This was followed by the AFLW team's first training session out on the SCG whereby the men's players formed a guard of honour.

That guard of honour included none other than Ham's idol, Lance Franklin.

"It's super surreal. Obviously, he's someone I've looked up to for a long time. And, you know, being able to walk out and he's there," Ham said.

With a plan to travel back and forth between Sydney and Melbourne until finishing her year 12 studies, Ham is leaning on her support network to work through what will be a challenging few months.

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"I've got a really good support network around me," she said.

"I'm on school holidays at the moment, which has kind of helped me settle into the club for the first couple of weeks, but my school has been really supportive reaching out, all my friends."

Montana Ham during Sydney's AFLW team's first training session on the SCG on July 11, 2022. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Developing relationships with her teammates - particularly given her limited time around the club initially - is something Ham sees as a crucial part of becoming a well-balanced team on the field.

"There's good connection around the team. I feel like we can really have that trust in each other to go hard on the ball, because we've made a good foundation of friendship outside the club, so it really shows when we play on the field together."

Ham noted that experienced players Brooke Lochland and Lisa Steane have taken her under their wing, while she had found immediate friendships with the likes of Aliesha Newman, Paige Sheppard, Sarah Skinner, and Sofia Hurley.

So, while the coming months will be a daunting balancing act of exams, footy and travel, Ham has everything she needs to not only survive, but thrive.