Bess Keaney in action during Essendon's clash against St Kilda in round three, 2024. Picture: AFL Photos

BESS Keaney may be 33 at the end of the year, but the Essendon recruit still felt like the new kid at school when she joined the Bombers.

Keaney started her AFLW career at Gold Coast in 2021 – the former hockey player having been overlooked in the first four Telstra AFLW Drafts – before she and husband Lucas decided to return home to Melbourne.

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"The decision to come home – Lucas and I moved up to the Gold Coast … and signed a six-month lease. The few years there were very much taking each day as it comes and enjoy that period of our lives. But I think we always knew we would come back to Melbourne and be near family, both being real family people," Keaney told Credit to the Girls.

"Of course I was nervous. We had a lunch in December last year, the day after the draft, and we welcomed in the three new draftees, and myself and 'Mads' (Maddison Gay, ex-Melbourne) were there as well. I was looking at Amy Gaylor, Em Gough and Chloe Adams and I was wondering who was more nervous, them or me. They were coming in at year seven, but I'm coming in at year 12. 

"You're coming from a place where you've got good relationships and they're established, and you're putting yourself in a position where you're making all of them from scratch."

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CTTG Interview: From hockey to footy: How Bess became a Bomber

Essendon midfielder Bess Keaney joins CTTG to chat the Bombers’ season, moving back to Victoria and her journey from hockey to AFLW

The lifelong Bombers fan grew up in the western suburbs of Melbourne, and is relishing the opportunity to play footy at the club's traditional home of Windy Hill.

"It's really special to come back and activate that space that maybe hasn't been as tied to Essendon as it is now. It looms large in the Essendon consciousness. I went to school down the road, and I used to go there sometimes after school for a kick, and it's always there in the back of your mind," Keaney said.

"But to go there and see billboards around Essendon Station of the women's players, to see the mural of Maddy Prespakis – it's pretty cool to see the women's team bringing back such a big part of the Essendon identity to the local area."

Keaney also discussed how Essendon has been covering for injured co-captain Bonnie Toogood in attack.