PLAYING professional soccer in Iceland is about as far removed from the NAB AFL Women's competition as you can get.
But it's all part of a unique journey for Adelaide midfielder and multi-talented sportswoman Jenna McCormick.
Not only is the 22-year-old a ball magnet when it comes to finding the Sherrin – along with knowing where the goals are – she's also a gun at the round-ball game.
McCormick is in her second season as a defender with W-League team Canberra United after completing a stint during the winter with Icelandic club Stjarnan.
"It was awesome and I would 100 per cent do it again in a heartbeat," McCormick said of her time with Stjarnan, which also fields handball, basketball, volleyball and gymnastics teams.
"The fact you're in a foreign country, you have no idea what the language is and it's on the other side of the world (made it) a unique experience.
"It's something I will treasure and remember for the rest of my life."
McCormick will miss the first two games of the AFLW season if Canberra reaches the grand final on February 12. Before this weekend's action, Canberra was in third spot with a game in hand and appears set to play in the finals.
"It's hard for me, because I want to be in the finals for soccer, but I don't want to miss the first rounds (of AFLW)," she said.
"Soccer will definitely be the priority just because we're in season now.
"I was doing my duties with Canberra before I was with the Crows, so I need to fulfill them and see them out."
McCormick has been kicking a footy as long as she can remember, growing up in Mount Gambier in South Australia's south-east.
It wasn't until she moved to Adelaide to attend Walford Anglican School for Girls in 2011 that she played in organised competitions.
She was picked in a youth state team after just four games of football, and juggled under-18 football with Morphettville Park and soccer for Adelaide University in the South Australian Premier League.
McCormick focused on soccer and made her debut for Adelaide United in the W-League in 2012.
"Soccer took over because there was a pathway there," she said.
"I was playing full seasons of soccer with only one or two footy games. Footy wasn't a priority at all."
McCormick dipped her toe back into Australian Football in 2015, playing for Coorparoo in the AFLQ competition. It wasn't long before she was invited to join the Queensland state team.
Her footy talents were on show when she booted three goals for the Brisbane Lions in an AFL women's series exhibition game against Gold Coast at the Gabba last year.
A member of the Brisbane Lions academy squad before being drafted by the Crows (with pick No. 23), McCormick admitted she had mixed feelings about leaving the Lions, but was delighted to see her new teammates cheer her on when Canberra was in Adelaide for a W-League game in December.
"It was awesome to have them there. It meant a lot to me," she said.
