Crows Irish recruit Kayleigh Cronin says her first AFLW season has been a crash course in learning a new game.

After earning a debut in the opening round, Cronin, who had never played Aussie Rules before signing with the Crows as a rookie, went on to feature in two more matches, before being left out of the side and told to go back and work on her craft.

Now the determined defender’s hard work and perseverance is beginning to pay off.

After fighting her way back into the team following nine weeks out, she helped the Crows to a win against Fremantle in Round 12, before being part of a scintillating team performance in the elimination final against St Kilda last Sunday.

Speaking to AFC Media, Cronin said she was determined to make the most of her time at the Crows, and put in extra work by coming into the Club on her days off to review game footage and sharpen her skills.

“It’s been a learning curve to say the least, I got the nod early on, and to be fair to Doc (Coach Matthew Clarke), he gave me three chances, and I don’t think I was up to the mark,” Cronin said.

“We have days off, depending on the week it’s usually Wednesdays and Fridays if we aren’t travelling, so I make my way into the Club on those days to watch a bit of vision and get a bit of touch and recovery in.

“Being my first year and everything being so new, I’ve had to play catch-up very quickly.

“I’m just trying to learn as much about footy as I possibly can, and hopefully it’s going to pay dividends.”

A work-on for Cronin, she says, has been learning to better use her height to her advantage and impact at the contest.

And it’s what she believes has helped her earn back a spot in the team.

“Given I am quite tall, getting my aerial game to a better standard has been the focus across the past couple of weeks,” Cronin said.

“If you are playing as a key (back) your ability to bring the ball to the ground if you’re in a one-on-one situation is massive.

“Something that we’ve been working on in the past couple of weeks has been our defensive efforts and just making sure that we are not beaten in one-on-one contests.

“I suppose that put me in a position in the past couple of weeks to put my hand up for selection, and it just worked out that the last week or two I was the profile the coaches were looking for.”

Despite stepping into an entirely new sport, Cronin’s presence has been felt right away, with her commanding voice and confident communication on the field.

It’s part of her game that she prides herself on.

“It probably was a strong point of mine back home, and I think just being loud can be intimidating to the oppo,” Cronin said.

“And ultimately it can also help those around you get that bit louder as well.

“We’ve got no shortage of leaders back there between Chelbo (Chelsea Biddell) and Sez (Sarah Allan), Randy (Chelsea Randall) playing back there on the weekend, and Zoe (Prowse) when she was there.

“There’s plenty of voice back there, but if we can work together and give each other breaks every now and then as well. It just makes us better, the more we’re talking, the more organised we are and it transfers further up the pitch.”

The 29-year-old, who lives with former Crows Skipper Chelsea Randall and her wife Marijana, is one of four Irish recruits in the team.

Cronin said having sisters Niamh and Grace Kelly, as well as Amy Boyle Carr at the Club had helped her feel more at home.

“I’ve probably leaned on them more than they might actually know, to be honest,” Cronin said.

“They’re a great group of girls and I’m lucky they’re here, they’ve definitely made it a lot easier to settle in.

“Niamh's partner is here, Grace’s partner is currently here as well, so we’re growing all the time and they’re great people to be around.”

As the Crows gear up for a semi-final clash against Melbourne at Ikon Park this Saturday, Cronin believed the team was hitting its straps at the right time.

“It’s been a great year, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it, and I wouldn’t change it for anything,” Cronin said.

“We’ve really started to kick into gear in our past two games. I think it’s the two games that we’ve conceded the least, and that’s not just on the defenders, that’s because of the whole team.

“We played Melbourne during a pre-season game, and their intensity and their work around stoppages was phenomenal. They’ve maintained that really strongly throughout the year.

“We are really looking forward to it, we know it’s going to be a massive challenge, but one that we are certainly looking forward to.”

Adelaide faces Melbourne in a do-or-die semi-final at Ikon Park on Saturday, with the first bounce at 12.35pm (ACDT).