SOPHIE Conway is basking in the Brisbane sun, sitting on the sidelines of her club's schmick new facility, Brighton Homes Arena in Springfield.
There are goal posts out on the deck and the turf has been laid.
It's almost ready. Almost.
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A precautionary bandage adorns Conway's calf, the only indicator of the physicality of the previous day's qualifying final against Richmond, but a big win has set the Lions on the direct path to a preliminary final – their third in as many seasons.
"It was a bit of a physical game I thought, especially towards the back end," Conway says.
"I felt like we let them back in the game a tiny bit, probably fell away from our brand of footy a little bit. It was a pretty fierce and physical game, but that's finals footy, right? It goes up another level and you've got to play for four quarters."
The key storyline swirling around before the game was the fact that the upstart Tigers had been the only side to best minor premier Brisbane throughout the home and away season.
For Richmond, the final was an opportunity to prove it could do it all again.
For Brisbane, it was redemption.
Both sides, of course, were out to earn a preliminary final berth as well, but that somehow felt secondary.
"The reality is, we probably didn't play our way and credit to Richmond, in round five they 100 per cent took our game style away from us," Conway says, earnestly.
"If you look at the vision and the way we're setting up structurally at times is probably pretty poor for our standards.
"Going into this game, we had to beat them because obviously we want to make a prelim, and we can (also) call this redemption, because we dropped a game to them in round five.
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"So, look, going into this game it was yeah, OK, we've got to beat them because obviously we want to make a prelim and we can call this redemption because we dropped a game to them in round five.
"But I think it was probably really a blessing in disguise to be honest, because it set us up for I think what has been a pretty good back half of the year."
A "pretty good back half of the year" is an understatement. The Lions have remained undefeated over the last six weeks, averaging 50.5 points per game, and winning each by an average margin of 31.5 points.
This dominance can be linked to two focus areas: an elite work ethic, and the makeup of the side, two factors intrinsically linked to Conway.
When asked about the 23-year-old, Brisbane head coach Craig Starcevich immediately speaks to her willingness to work hard.
"That's always been a great strength of hers, her training ethic and attention to detail," the long-time Lions coach says.
That strength is what allowed Conway to return from an ACL rupture as a revamped player, in a role that has been key to Brisbane's success of recent: the wing. As a 19-year-old with six games and five goals as a half-forward under her belt, Conway injured her knee during the offseason, ruling her out of the 2019 season.
"We are obviously devastated but the important thing to do now is to focus on her recovery," Brisbane women's CEO Breeanna Brock said at the time.
And focus on her recovery she did. The then-teenager went away and worked hard, returning to the club in 2020 as "a better and stronger athlete" according to Starcevich, which led to a positional shift that has effectively made Conway what she is today.
"The fact that she came back with an enhanced running capacity probably led us to think that she was well suited to (the wing)," he said.
Conway has helped the wing position garner more attention in AFLW, becoming arguably the most damaging outside runner in the game. In the process, Brisbane has led the way in its use of runners to great success.
"I think in the last couple of seasons we've started to utilise that wing role a lot more," Conway says carefully, trying not to attribute the positive style shift to herself.
"We are probably, I feel, a key cog in what (the Lions) want to do. It's a lot of two-way, unrewarded running but at the end of the day, if you get the job done and you get the win, then it doesn't really matter to Jade (Ellenger), Orla (O'Dwyer) and I."
Ensuring Brisbane's other wingers – Ellenger, who joined the club in 2019 but didn't start getting games in earnest until 2021, and O'Dwyer who was recruited for the 2020 season – were also credited when in the conversation about wingers is a testament to the requirements of the position in itself.
It's a selfless one that is crucial to the team's success, but doesn't always heap praise on the individuals in those roles.
What Conway is sure of, however, is that wingers don't get enough credit across the competition for their value ("not to get my own credit, but the position in general!").
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As much as she loves footy, and wants to continue improving, finding time away from the game is essential for Conway, and being based in Brisbane that's an easier prospect than in other states.
"I prefer sometimes to steer away from footy a little bit because I just don't like to be smothered in it... I'm not someone who lives and breathes footy. I try to catch a bit of a break from it, because it can be a bit full on at times," she says pensively, looking out at the bright green turf of Michael Voss Oval, their soon-to-be home ground.
"I'm quite harsh on myself. Sometimes I like to watch our game back pretty much straightaway to get any things out of my head that I'm still thinking about."
This is something that Starcevich has reflected on, not just with Conway but across his whole playing group since becoming head coach for the inaugural 2017 season.
"It's getting the balance between, you know, is there a pattern with some of the things they're doing that need some improvement? Or are there one-off brain fades or decision-making errors? Just trying to work out what's becoming a habit and what's not, and getting people to move on quickly and keep resetting and going back to what your strengths are," he says.
"You actually are in this league because you're not a bad player. You don't have to be so harsh on yourself," he states in a manner that suggests it's not the first time, and certainly not the last time, he'll say it, to Conway or any of his other Lions.
But outside of the overthinking, high-performance attitude ticking away behind Conway's eyes, the energetic, excitable personality is as evident off the field as it is on it.
"She's not an introvert," Starcevich says slowly, almost tongue-in-cheek.
"It takes all types in a team and you need extroverts to provide a bit of energy and spark at times, I think they all contribute to it in some shape or form.
"Occasionally when things were a little bit flat and need a bit of a pickup, the extroverts are the ones that perk everyone up, and she's one of those."
