When Madison Newman runs out onto Alberton Oval to play her 75th AFLW game on Saturday night against Port Adelaide, it will be about more than just her reaching a new milestone. 

It will be a full-circle moment for a footballer who grew up supporting the Adelaide Football Club always counting down to her favourite day on the footballing calendar: the Showdown. 

“I grew up watching the boys play in the Showdown, it was my favourite game of the year, every single time, so to now be playing in one for my 75th game is truly special,” the 25-year-old said.

The 75th milestone is testament not only to the sporting talent of the 168cm winger, but also to her resilience across an eight-season career that started when she was drafted at Pick No.100 at the 2019 Draft, before she made her debut in Round One, 2020. 

As she reflected on her football career so far, Newman said there was one defining moment: being omitted from Adelaide’s 2022 Grand Final side that went on to beat Melbourne by 13 points at Adelaide Oval.

The disappointment of missing out on that game might have been devastating at the time, but it quickly became the catalyst that helped shaped the player she is today.

“It was quite a heartbreak for me, but I wouldn’t be the player that I am today without that experience,” she said. 

“It changed my mindset because going into the next season, I never wanted to feel like that again and that drove me to get better and better, year on year and to not be complacent. 

“Being in the team every week is a privilege and that is a massive driver for me.”

And she’s not just saying that … if you look back over Newman’s stats sheet, she hasn’t missed a game since that Grand Final.

Before the Grand Final, Newman had played 13 games across three seasons. She has since featured in 61-straight to now arrive at this milestone.

But there was something else that changed for her after that disappointment – off-field she started making videos with her twin sister, Hallie, posting them to their joint TikTok and Instagram accounts and courting tens of thousands of social media followers. 

“Making videos with Hallie helped me so much because it gave me an outside balance and is a massive factor as to how I’ve been able to balance life and footy and the expectations and the anxieties of selection,” Newman said.

Today, Newman is recognised as one of Adelaide’s most reliable performers and while she may not hold an official leadership title, she leads through consistency and action.

“I pride myself on being a consistent player and a consistent teammate,” she said.

“I always want to play my role for the betterment of the team.” 

And as she prepares to reach 75 games, Newman said her focus remained on inspiring the next generation of girls to believe they belonged in football.

“When I was growing up and kicking the footy with my dad, other parents would come up to him and say: ‘Wow, she kicks like a boy’, and my dad would always say: ‘No, she kicks like a girl’.

“I want to show the younger generation that there are role models to look up to who are women, and that the pathway is there for them.”

Adelaide faces Port Adelaide in Showdown IV at Alberton Oval on Saturday at 6.45pm.