Baia Pugh's journey to the big time of the AFLW didn't start with a bang or because she loved footy for as long as she could walk.
Instead, it began on a weekend in her final year of high school, when she walked away from netball without a second thought.
The decision would change her life, taking her on a journey that has ultimately led her to Tigerland and an impressive debut season, where she played five games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.
"I remember having a conversation with my mum about it. I was in Year 12, I'd just finished playing local netball for the week and I was like, 'I just want to be doing something at a higher level'. A team sport, rather than athletics," Pugh told Richmond's In Their Words podcast.
"I hadn't really tried football, but mum was like, 'why don't you give these Gippsland Power try-outs a go?'.
"I got home from schoolies and that was the goal for the rest of the year. I kept going through and it was like, 'oh, this is getting serious'. I took it under my wing, it got real and I went, 'this is unreal'."
Pugh would go on to impress in her first and only season with the Power, being selected by Richmond with pick No.54 in the 2025 AFLW National Draft.
But it wasn't always a certainty that she would land at the Swinburne Centre.
"It was such a feeling of uncertainty. I'm appreciative that it [being drafted to Richmond] happened that way, because it made it 10 times more exciting when it did happen," Pugh said.
"We had heaps of people from the local community knocking on the door going, 'you're going to the Tigers!'. Everyone was so excited."
The youngster made her debut in Round 1, earning her spot after impressing in the pre-season with her run-and-carry and elite speed.
She gives all the credit to her father, who helped the youngster understand the game's fundamentals, building a foundation she leans on to this day.
"He, behind the scenes last year, genuinely helped me so much. I don't think I'd be sitting here if he didn't teach me all his knowledge about the game," Pugh said.
"He got his whiteboard out - because he's a footy coach himself - and he'd let me move magnets. He helped me [learn the game] and he was so patient with me, sat there every step of the way. I'm super grateful for him."
