Gabby Newton had never lived out of home before.
So her decision to move across the country from her native Melbourne to Perth to join Fremantle came as a shock to those around her.
"I think I gave my mother the shock of her life when I told her, because I said 'I'm moving out, and I'm moving across the country'," Newton joked.
"It was a decision I made with my family, because I'm really close with my family.
"It was really important that they understood why I wanted to go to Freo, and to know some of the people there as well, like 'Webby' [Fremantle head coach and former Western Bulldogs assistant Lisa Webb], Bob [Murphy] and 'Heff' [Fremantle's Head of AFLW Claire Heffernan], they've been really good at reaching out to my family and making sure they're a part of it too."
After five seasons and 36 games with the Western Bulldogs after being drafted with the No.1 pick in 2019, Newton has taken to WA life like a duck to water.
Chalking a lot of it up to being close to the beach and a more relaxed pace of life, Newton admitted to feeling "happier" in Perth.
The other factor is her improved fitness, with her body finally feeling good after a double shoulder reconstruction in 2022 and a pre-season out with a back injury that meant Newton had just a handful of training sessions with her new side before round one.
The shoulders have recovered so well in fact that Newton racked up an astonishing 20 tackles in last week's elimination final against Essendon.
"Sometimes I forget about the massive shoulder injuries that I had because I just feel like I've come so far since then," Newton said.
"But even this pre-season I spent out with a back injury, and I think just every game like getting more and more physical, and then it's sort of more testament to the way Freo play, even as an outsider previously watching obviously, 'Turbo' [Kiara Bowers] would always have absolutely staggering tackle numbers.
"So I think it's just something that comes with playing in the free midfield. I think 'Aish Mac' [Aisling McCarthy] had a ridiculous amount of tackles as well [last week] so hopefully we can continue to bring that physicality."
Along with arguably the best ruck in the competition in Mim Strom and gun midfielder McCarthy, the 175cm Newton's physicality and agility has been a key component of Freo's rise in 2024.
After a few tough years at the rebuilding Bulldogs, Newton is relishing the opportunity to challenge at the pointy end of the season despite losing key players such as Bowers (pregnancy), Aine Tighe (knee) and captain Ange Stannett (knee) earlier in the year.
"The vibe's incredible, it has been all season even when we've copped a couple of losses," she said.
"Our non-playing players watch from the balcony and you can hear Aine [Tighe] screaming at the top of her lungs every week, so that gives us a real gee-up on-field, and Ange on the bench does an incredible job.
"Any time 'Turbo' is around - she bought little baby Luca training last night and she just gives you the biggest boost because she's just such a beautiful human.
"They're all champing at the bit to be back, but they're such good heads for us to have off the field."
Newton may not be a Bulldog any more, but for Saturday's match-up against perennial contender Adelaide, she knows Fremantle are another type of canine.
"I think we've shown and proved to ourselves throughout the season that not only can we come back from anything, but there's this belief in us that we can get the job done. I think this group has so much grit and just a willingness to work and work together.
"So as much as probably the external noises is that we're underdog this weekend, we have a massive belief in ourselves and hopefully that will get the job done."
