Fremantle recruit Janelle Cuthbertson says she is raring to go for the first round of the AFLW season after a hard-fought game against reigning premiers Adelaide at David Grays Arena on Saturday.
Cuthbertson surprised many when she was picked up during last year’s draft, having played in the Perth Angels WAFLW Reserves last season.
The 29-year-old said keeping an open mind has been the key for her in two practice matches with Fremantle so far.
“It’s a massive learning curve for me at the moment,” Cuthbertson said.
“Very different to last week’s game, so I didn’t really know what to expect going out there.
“We worked hard in the second half and came out on top, so that was pleasing and a positive to take out of it.”
The 175cm defender was one of 11 new players recruited by Fremantle ahead of the 2020 season, including rising star hopeful Roxy Roux.
She is joined in the backline by fellow cross-coders Ange Stannett and Evie Gooch, who both played soccer for Perth Glory.
Cuthbertson, a former tennis player, believes having them to feed off has helped her immensely in settling in to the AFLW lifestyle.
“It’s nice to have someone to bounce off… and just have a chat to,” Cuthbertson said.
“I think across sports you can really apply different methods in the way you handle yourself and in terms of the game and managing expectations they have been really good.”
Cuthbertson said the backline is ready to face the challenges the new season will throw at them.
“(Ange is) solid and I love just feeding off her energy in the back,” Cuthbertson said.
“I’m loving it, I’m pretty naturally competitive, so I like to get physical and see what I can do in the back, I’m really enjoying it.”
