TEAGAN Germech only joined Port Adelaide in June, signed as a tall half-back/midfielder who can pinch hit in the ruck.

Six months on, the 22-year-old is a newly minted full-back, fresh off a three-year deal and staring down a preliminary final against North Melbourne's mighty three-prong attack.

It's been a long and winding road for Germech (and let's get it on record, pronounced like "German" but with a "mack" on the end), who started playing local footy in her hometown of Bathurst, a country town to the west of Sydney.

Having seen a number of players drafted to Greater Western Sydney out of the AFL Canberra league, she moved there in the hopes of making it to the top level, playing for the Belconnen Magpies.

Then, it was a shift to Sydney and a stint as a train-on player with the Swans in season seven, 2022, but that was as close as Germech got to the top that year.

After showing some nice form at a New South Wales talent tournament, GWS signed her up for the 2023 season as an injury replacement player. Germech finally got that AFLW debut, playing seven games in the charcoal and orange, but her one-year deal wasn't renewed.

It wasn't until Port Adelaide came knocking for its own injury replacement player mid-year that Germech found another opportunity.

Such has been her form after a consistent run at the top level, she's now signed a three-year deal, tying her to Alberton till the end of 2027, providing some much-needed security after a few years on the road.

"I honestly have no words. I'm just really proud of myself for being able to turn around, not give up and still come back and play every game," Germech told AFL.com.au.

"I'm super grateful to the club, but I'm also just really proud of myself for coming through that and honestly, becoming a much better player.

"I definitely thought maybe AFLW wasn't for me a few times, and had conversations with my parents about, 'Is it time to give up?' I haven't been to uni, so should I start working on a career outside of football?

"But I've given up so much to get to where I was – moving to Canberra, then to Sydney, I had done so much that I didn't want to give up yet.

"It's just hard sometimes to get there. I went through three or four drafts without getting picked up. It was tough, but I stuck it out, and I wouldn't be here without any of those experiences."

She started the season as a half-back flanker, but after skipper Janelle Cuthbertson tore her ACL in round two, her role shifted to a key back. It's not the easiest of jobs, and carries a lot of pressure for a player who spent the first six months of this year without a club.

"It definitely took a few games to get used to the key defender role. Obviously 'JC' is such a big out, we sort of missed her leadership for a few rounds there," Germech said.

"I was playing midfield and ruck last year, so it's definitely been a journey to understand my role. I do a lot of work with Sam (Virgo, backline coach), as well as Amelie Borg, who's really stepped up in the backline, as well as 'Foles' (Ange Foley). 

"They have both really helped me with my body work. Obviously, they're both fantastic players and really experienced, so to have them help me do what I need to do, like with the comms and even just with my positioning – having them there has really boosted my level."

North Melbourne and Port Adelaide met in week four this year, the Roos jumping out to a 41-point lead at half-time before a tropical-like thunderstorm hit the decidedly non-tropical Footscray. While the Power pressed amid driving rain in the second half, the final margin sat at 36.

"They're a fantastic side. Their entire team is just absolutely stacked, so it's going to be a really big challenge for us this weekend," Germech said.

"It's going to be a big task against some of their key forwards, but we're just sticking to our gameplan, doing what we know works for us, try to stop their offence and open up our offence too. 

"We've been doing a lot of research and reviewing our previous game – but it was torrential rain last time, I'm not sure how much we can take from it, because the ball didn't even move. I remember trying to look sideways and couldn't see anything, because there was rain pelting into my eyes."