Twelve months is a long time in football, just ask Lauren Caruso.
Last year she sat on the side lines as an emergency for Essendon as it claimed the Victorian Football League Women’s premiership.
She would later help Keilor win the Essendon District Football League premier division flag and was unlucky not to be named best on ground.
This year, Caruso played a key role in helping Port Melbourne claim its first VFLW premiership.
“I’m still pinching myself,” she said a few days after the premiership success.
“It doesn’t feel real. It was completely different and it was nice to go out there and play my game.”
Caruso had 22 possessions and 11 tackles as the Port Melbourne beat Collingwood, 5.5 (35)-3.5 (23).
She was awarded the Lisa Hardeman Medal as the best player on the ground. It was something Caruso said she didn’t see coming.
“I was reeling off names that I thought deserved it,” she said. “It never came to my mind it could be me.
“I had a good game, but you know that there’s others that deserve to have the medal.”
Caruso said for her entering big games like grand finals, she just treats them like any game and doesn’t take it too seriously.
“It’s more about fun and having another opportunity to play a game.”
For Caruso the decision to make the switch from Essendon to Port Melbourne wasn’t an easy one.
While she loved the Bombers, she knew she needed a change.
“I don’t like change, so it was a really difficult decision to leave Essendon,” she said. “I’ve loved the Essendon program that has been created the last few years.
“The time was right to have a bit of a change and re-find who I am as a footballer and a person.”
When Caruso was making the decision, it was a Keilor teammate that had a big influence in deciding to join the club.
“Kaitlyn O’Keefe enjoyed the program so much,” she said. “Her great words and she loved it, and it really attracted me to the club.”
O’Keefe was beside Caruso on grand final day receiving a premiership medal. Another Keilor player, Laura Wright, missed the grand final after hurting her knee at training in the lead up to the game.
Caruso said Keilor had been a good base for her football, having joined the club when it first started having female football.
Having loved the sport since she was a kid, Caruso wanted to show that you can open doors in football and if you back yourself in anything can happen.
While the VFLW season is over, Caruso isn’t putting the footy boots away just yet.
On Saturday, she was set to play for Richmond in an AFLW intra club match.
Caruso said she’s keen for the opportunity to test herself against some AFLW players.
“I’m going with the flow,” she said. “I would love to be drafted to the AFLW.
“I want to play good footy and enjoy it and see where it takes me.
“I’m super excited and I just want to enjoy myself and play high quality footy.”
