When 18-year-old draftee Ava Stewart packed up and moved from Perth to Adelaide in February, she arrived at Crows headquarters with a simple goal: to work hard, improve and earn her chance playing at the top level. 

On the weekend, her hard work paid off when she made her AFLW debut in Adelaide’s 32-point Pride Round win against Richmond on Saturday night. 

Her debut was the culmination of months of dedication and persistence, after being picked up by the Crows with the final pick of the 2025 AFLW Draft – No. 63.

After relocating in February and moving in with teammate Brooke Tonon, Stewart said she quickly embraced life at the Club, impressed by the welcoming environment and the standards required to compete at AFLW. 

“The amount of work that goes in behind the scenes surprised me,” Stewart said.

“It showed me how much work you have to do in pre-season just to be fit enough to run out and play a full game.” 

Like many first-year players, the road to selection was not necessarily an easy one. 

In fact, for Stewart, a tall 180cm defender, she spent the first eight rounds of the season playing in the scrimmages and waiting for her opportunity, but rather than becoming frustrated, she used the experience as motivation.

“I think it made me hungrier to play,” she said. 

“I was very determined throughout the scrimmages to fight my way into the team.” 

While she believed she was getting close to selection, hearing the news that she would finally make her debut was an emotional moment.

“It was a feeling of being so proud of yourself and how far you’ve come,” Stewart said.

“The amount of support I felt in that moment and seeing everyone who was genuinely so happy for me was amazing.” 

The significance of the occasion was matched by the support in the stands on Saturday night, with family members flying across from Perth at short notice to witness the milestone.

Both her parents, sister and grandparents made the trip, creating a special support crew for one of the proudest moments of Stewart’s life to date. 

And despite trying her best to treat her debut just like any other game, Stewart admitted the excitement made for an early start, and she even required a midday nap to keep up her energy for the evening match. But by the time the players arrived at IKON Park, the reality of the occasion was beginning to sink in.

“I remember saying to myself, ‘I'll give myself a bit of a sleep in just because of the half an hour time difference’, but I ended up getting up at 7am; I could not sleep and then I had literally a whole day to kill," Stewart said.

“But on the team bus to the game, it was pretty surreal and I was trying not to get too excited and making sure my skills were hitting in the warm-up.” 

Making the experience even more meaningful was the chance to debut in Adelaide’s Pride guernsey, a design that Stewart’s housemate, Tonon, had helped design.

“I felt very honoured to wear something so special to our teammates and the AFLW,” she said. 

But Stewart’s recollection of her first touch in the game is that it may not have gone exactly to script.

“My first touch got smothered,” she said. 

“I remember, I think Celbo (Chelsea Biddell) took an intercept mark and then kicked it to Chloe (Bown) and Chloe’s played on and run down the wing and I’m like: ‘Go, go, Chloe, go’, and I’m chasing Chloe to support her. And then she’s kicked it to Lil (Tarlinton) and then Lil’s in a contest and then I came and picked up the ball and that’s when the ball got smothered and I had to tackle.

“But Lil and Chloe got around me at that moment, so it was pretty special.”

The Crows went on to record an impressive victory, and Stewart soaked up every moment of the post-match celebrations, including the traditional Gatorade shower.

“It was just so good after the game,” she said. 

While debuting was a major goal when she arrived at the Crows, Stewart believes the experience has been about much more than football: it’s been about independence, pushing her comfort zone and growing both as a footballer and a person.

And with her debut now behind her and Adelaide’s finals hopes still alive, she is eager for what comes next.

“I’m very excited for the rest of the season,” Stewart said. 

“This group just has so much belief.”

Adelaide will now turn its attention to its home match against Gold Coast at Unley Oval on Saturday at 12.35pm.

Tickets available here.