Sometimes, we take the national draft for granted. The learned expectation is that players know what they're getting into when they nominate, but when push comes to shove, it doesn't make the emotional side to moving away from home at 18 any easier. In a new series 'Home and Away', we speak to a number of men's and women's players about their experiences and find out a bit more about the logistics involved.

West Coast draftee Lucia Painter kicks off the series.

MOVING from Bendigo to Perth is no easy feat, especially at 18.

But after Lucia Painter's name was read out at pick No.7 by West Coast, she was ready and raring to make the trip.

"Conversations pretty much started on draft night, I said I wanted to get a move on and have a month (before uni) to settle in," Painter told AFL.com.au.

"I knew I wanted to drive because of my dog, Arlo, and at least I have my car over here now. I initiated a lot of that early conversation around moving, and West Coast were so helpful around all of that, the PDM (Janelle Marangon) and the whole team were so accommodating around that."

The PDM, or player development manager, is key to making everything off the field run as smoothly as possible for players.

Each club has two, assigned to the women's and men's teams, and for new draftees, they become first port of call for pretty much everything.

Marangon even came up with an itinerary of sorts for Painter and dad Aaron, who accompanied his daughter on the four-day drive across the Nullarbor with dog Arlo.

However, Painter's two pet blue-tongue lizards were foiled by Western Australia's biosecurity laws.

"WA laws state that eastern blue-tongues can't come over here," she said, ruefully.

"Apparently, the laws are going to change in a couple of years, so (for now) the family at least have a memory of me at home – they have to keep looking after my blue-tongues."

The AFLW pre-season doesn't kick off until May, and Painter is one of the first AFLW draftees around the country to have already made her move, wanting to give herself a month's grace before starting her Bachelor of Laws at Edith Cowan University.

December's Telstra AFLW Draft was the first fully national affair in the women's game, but given Painter grew up in Bendigo, and knew regardless of footy that she had to move to study, the relocation came as no shock.

Painter has also been allocated new teammate Jaide Britton – who has been studying law while racking up 23 games in her first three seasons – as a club "mentor".

"My family and friends had such trust in me that I'd be fine, moving to Perth, so that gave me confidence in myself. I knew I was coming to a really good team, and West Coast made me feel really welcome from literally draft night, and the interviews we had before that. I'm in really good hands, which made me feel more comfortable," Painter said.

"At the moment I'm in a club rental, and I'm here for a couple of weeks, but then I'm moving in with (new teammate and fellow Vic Country graduate) Jess Rentsch and her cousin, so that'll be good to be with someone who's been here for a season and knows her way around, and just be her shadow for a bit until I find my feet a bit more."

Given Painter had lived at home until this year, the moving out experience was oddly similar to most regular young adults around the country, despite the fact she was moving to the other side of Australia.

"I packed like a month before I moved, like the end of December, because we went on a holiday and got home a few days before I moved to Perth. I wish I packed my swag, that's the one thing I wish I'd brought, but other than that, I think I did pretty well in my packing," she said.

"Obviously, I packed all my footy boots. I think majority of my stuff is for my dog, to be honest. All I have is sports gear, too, so it was mainly runners and sports clothes. Just the basic stuff you need, clothing, my bike.

"I left my bed and that in Bendigo, I bought a new bed and mattress and all that sort of stuff.

"It wasn't quite as hectic a move as you think. You do soon start to realise that you don't actually own a lot – that your parents have all the things like pots and pans."

Categorised as an "interstate relocated player" by the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, men's and women's players like Painter have access to up to $16,500 "to be attributed to the purchase or rent of household items, rent, living expenses or any other reasonable relocation-related expenses, to be determined by the player in consultation with and the approval of the Player Development Manager and always in accordance with guidelines to be provided by AFL from time to time in consultation with AFLPA."

As an AFLW player, she can also access up to six economy flights from Melbourne to Perth (or vice versa) and four nights' accommodation for family in Perth to help with the transition, all of which have to be ticked off by the PDM.

But for the initial move, Painter, her dad and a very patient Arlo got in her car, and just drove.

"I can't say I'll be doing it every couple of months, it'd be a once-a-year thing, but it was really good. We were testing out the local pubs, because he's a chef, so we were trying them out. They were proper local pubs, that’s for sure," she said with a grin.

"A lot of it was driving, but it was pretty uneventful. We swapped over here and there, we saw camels on the Nullarbor, then the 90 mile straight (between Balladonia and Caiguna in WA, north-east of Esperance) was the most boring part, because it was literally a dead straight road. But we've never done it before, so that kept us going.

"Crossing the border was pretty cool and we vlogged the whole thing, so that kept us going in our 12-hour driving days. It was a good moment for Dad and I."

Ever the busy beaver, Painter has already scouted out a few pubs for some casual shifts here and there, already holding her RSA given her previous work alongside Aaron at a pub back home.

The extra cash is always handy, but she also views it as a way to make local friends, not knowing anyone in Perth outside of the club.

"I had a get-together with family and friends in Bendigo before I left, and that was the start of the tears, but my dad reckoned I had been putting on a bit of a front for a few weeks before moving away," Painter said.

"It definitely hit me a few days beforehand, saying goodbye to friends and family – the hardest part was saying goodbye to my immediate family, because we're so close and I'm Mum's oldest child, so the first baby leaving.

"I had Dad for the next five days, and when he flew home, there were a lot of tears at the airport, because it marked the start of my adult life. A lot of phone calls still, planning for trips and that, so it keeps me going.

"I'm a very talkative person, so I've made myself pretty comfortable, going around to everyone (at the club). I've met with a lot of the staff, I've caught up with a lot of players for coffee.

"I was in at the club pretty much every day last week, just finding my feet there, chatting to people and trying to figure my way around the place. They're a very welcoming group, and such a young list, so it's easier for the younger players who are coming in."