Draft Diaries will follow Vic Country's Lila Keck and South Australia's Lauren Young in their final year of junior footy, with a few check-ins across 2023. The star duo – both members of the AFLW Academy – are expected to be drafted to AFLW lists ahead of the 2024 season. This article introduces Bendigo Pioneers' forward/midfielder Keck, with Young's first chat to follow in the coming days.

WHILE Lila Keck loved playing footy with the boys at South Bendigo, she wasn't sure if it was worth it.

Then when she was 12, the NAB AFLW competition kicked off, and football became a serious option for Keck, who's now captain of Coates Talent League side Bendigo Pioneers.

"I started playing football when I was five, so nearly 12-13 years ago. I just picked it up because I was surrounded by it, massive football family, love kicking the footy with my brother and my dad," Keck told womens.afl.

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"Starting with the boys, it was like if you're good at it, is it worth it? Putting the time and effort into trying to be better? But after 2017, it was like this is what I want to do, and this is going to be huge.

"It just excited me how big it was going to get. I wanted to be part of that."

Keck moved to play with the girls at Sandhurst when she aged out of mixed footy – "won three premierships in four years, just a cheeky little flex" – before last year playing her local footy with senior women's side Strathfieldsaye.

"I was tiny (162cm), that's for sure, and got squashed a few times, but was definitely quick enough to get away from the older women," Keck said with a grin.

"Primarily, I'm a small forward, but this year, I've stepped up in the midfield, which I've really enjoyed. It's where everything happens, and I like to be amongst it. 

"To describe myself, I'm definitely a hard-ball winner, and I've got great goal sense. Love a snag or two, and definitely a celebration too. Lately, it's been Xav Duursma's bow and arrow."

Keck is just as energetic and industrious off the field as she is on it, a chatty, down-to-earth person with just the right amount of cheek and confidence for a small forward.

She's a barista, still tries to make it down to watch every game of her local side and loves walking her dog. A North Melbourne supporter who's "not too embarrassed to say that anymore" now Alastair Clarkson's at the helm, her AFLW idols have been Daisy Pearce, Monique Conti and Bendigo local Emma Grant.

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Keck's ready for a year of combining study at Catherine McAuley College in Bendigo with top-level representative footy. 

"I'm doing year 12 at the moment. It's getting a bit hard now, first term was all right, but it's getting up there. I'm doing all the health subjects so I can do something in the physio/exercise field outside of football," she said.

"I want to use my leadership skills. I've just been appointed captain of the Bendigo Pioneers, so probably that's a main goal for this year. Enjoying my football individually, but bringing people and my teammates up with me is definitely one of my goals for the year. And getting a few wins on the board as well.

"I definitely went into this year wanting to work on my speed, being that bit smaller and not having the body size to be up against big people, I want to be that bit quicker. So definitely my speed, and on a general level, my ball use and that sort of thing."

Keck also loves her cricket, having played as an all-rounder at premier league level before opting to focus on just one top-level sport. She still plays locally on a Sunday morning, as a break from her footy commitments.

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She's previously captained Vic Country at under-17 level, and has two local under-18 best and fairests under belt, and is prepared for the challenges ahead of her final year of junior footy.

"There's a whole lot more pressure, being your top-age year. I definitely took (under-18 Vic Country) with both hands last year, thinking how good, I'm an underage player and I get to play against girls who are about to be drafted," Keck said.

"Definitely going into this year still enjoying it, but sort of realising this is where it all starts."