EBONY Marinoff has swapped surf for turf after being selected by Adelaide with pick No.7 in the inaugural NAB AFL Women's Draft.
The former surf lifesaver and South Australian native became one of many draftees lured from other sporting backgrounds.
Marinoff, 18, recruited from Morphettville Park Football Club, also a talented junior netballer, decided to give up surf lifesaving at the end of last year to dedicate herself to Aussie football.
"There did come a time where footy, netball and surf lifesaving started clashing so I thought I would give footy a red-hot crack, knowing that there was going to be a National Women's League," Marinoff said after being drafted.
"I thought I'd hang up the bathers, put the netball skirt away and live and breathe football."
It was a good move for the 18-year-old, who put together an impressive season in her state's women's league, highlighted by a best afield performance in the South Australian women's exhibition match in April.
The hard-at-it midfielder finished the match played as a curtain-raiser to the round-two Adelaide-Port Adelaide showdown with 37 disposals to help her side to a two-point win.
The left-footer also took four marks, laid 13 tackles, won seven clearances, sent the ball inside 50 seven times and rebounded from defensive 50 on three occasions, to well and truly put herself on the draft radar.
"I just love footy," Marinoff said on Wednesday.
"It's a bit more free flowing than netball and you can't hit hard and get picked up for 'contact' all the time.
"It's a sport that suits me because of the physicality."
Marinoff was not the only first-round selection to make a successful transition from another sport, with No.1 pick and now Giants player Nicola Barr deciding to pursue footy over soccer.
Barr, the reigning Mostyn Medal winner as the Sydney Women's Premier Division best and fairest, said she decided to pursue football because the game had all the components that interested her.
"I was playing a lot of soccer beforehand and I just went along with a school team one day and we all got together and started playing, and I've loved it ever since," Barr said.
"Footy incorporates so many elements from different sports and that's what I love about it.
"I love the fitness about it and you can use everything – running, tackling, kicking, marking … it's the best sport."
Others to be selected from other sports included Aussie cricketer Jess Cameron, who was picked by Collingwood with pick No.75, and WNBL basketballer Lauren Pearce, selected by Melbourne with pick No.25.
They join several others from different sports who had already been signed to clubs before the draft, including another international cricketer Delissa Kimmince, Olympic javelin thrower Kim Mickle, Opals basketballers Erin Phillips and Jess Bibby and Matildas footballer Ellie Brush.
