WESTERN Bulldogs and Darebin Falcons star forward Katie Brennan says she is "jealous" of the girls taking part in this week's AFL youth girls' national championships in Melbourne.
"It's an intensive block of learning, with access to quality coaching and strength and conditioning staff, with some of the best young players in the country," Brennan said.
"The girls get a massive buzz, and learn so much about themselves and each other. I'm a little bit jealous I don't get to play, actually," she said with a laugh.
Born in Queensland to Victorian parents, footy was always in Brennan's blood.
A talented junior, Brennan represented Queensland in the youth carnival for three years and was named the best and fairest player in 2010. She loved every minute of it, and in that time received mentoring from stars of the women's game, including Daisy Pearce and Lauren Arnell.
"I developed great relationships with girls through the nationals. You can develop lifelong friendships with the girls you were playing with and against," she said.
A trip to Melbourne to visit her mother led to a few training sessions with the powerhouse of women's football in Victoria, the Darebin Falcons.
"It was a big step up. Running around with some of the big guns of the competition, to be on the field with the likes of Daisy, Melissa Hickey and Aasta O'Connor, was amazing," she said.
Those casual sessions led to a permanent move to Melbourne and three premierships in three years with the Falcons. The 23-year-old has also represented Victoria in senior national championships.
In the inaugural women's draft, in 2013, the Bulldogs selected Brennan with pick 22.
The youth championships run until Friday, with matches at the Olympic Park precinct, Trevor Barker Oval in Sandringham, City Oval in Coburg, Punt Road Oval in Richmond and at the MCG. Brennan will be using her expertise as a strength and conditioning coach at this year's youth carnival to help Queensland, runner-up last year to Vic Metro.
"To work with the youth girls and see how the competition has developed over time will be really exciting," Brennan said.
"The championships started off as an interstate competition between Queensland and Victoria. Six years later, it's great to see how professional it is and how much the girls have improved."
Brennan splits her time between her strength and conditioning business – kb.performance, which focuses on developing young female footballers – her training commitments at Darebin and finishing her exercise and sports science degree at the Australia Catholic University.
"I absolutely love it. Owning my own business and being my own boss makes it a bit easier to fit meetings and such around my training," she said.
As a Bulldog, Brennan can't wait for next year's women's league to begin.
"It will have a massive influence on the number of girls playing. The growth is phenomenal," she said.
"Girls can see a pathway now. They can look up to see Daisy and other amazing footballers. It's a revolution."
