SATURDAY’S practice match against Carlton may not have turned out how Melbourne had hoped. Still, it was the first hit-out, with the home and away season yet to start.

The road for every player to get to that match was significant.

Each had their own story and pathway.

For Melbourne defender Meg Downie, she was no exception.  

She wasn’t a marquee player like outstanding duo Daisy Pearce or Mel Hickey. Nor was she wasn’t drafted with Melbourne’s first selection like the exciting Elise O’Dea or claimed with its final pick, as was the developing Sarah Jolly.

Instead, Downie was one of three women secured as free agents, along with the fearless Laura ‘Irish’ Duryea and Aliesha Newman, who kicked Melbourne’s only goal against Carlton.

For Downie – who hails from Buln Buln in Gippsland and was recruited from the St Kilda Sharks – the recently turned 28-year-old has been a fine addition to Melbourne’s squad.

She has added leadership, experience and an infectious vitality to the group.

A defender who has played state football, Downie returned to the game in 2016 after three years away from it. She had previously spent four years with the Eastern Devils. But a hamstring injury forced her to miss the 2016 season, meaning the hit out against Carlton was her first game in four years.

For Downie, she had “never been more excited about a game”.

And despite the 43-point loss, it was still an experience she’ll never forget.

“It was pretty emotional for me at the start. I tried to keep my emotions at bay. I was extremely excited and I got a lot of messages from my friends and family, who knew how much of an important game it was for me – after such a long break,” she told melbournefc.com.au.

“I felt really good out there. I felt really strong in the backline with the girls and I had a really good time. It felt really natural for me and it didn’t feel like I’d had such a long break.”

The pre-season  

Downie’s journey back into football started back in late October when she joined Melbourne.

Entering the pre-season, Downie acknowledged that she was nervous. How would she fare? What would the standard be like? And how would the intensity be?  

After all, it was a new experience.

Eight weeks on, Downie said she had been blown away by how much she had learned over the summer.

“I’ve felt like I’ve had a really good pre-season. I was a little bit nervous with my level of fitness coming into the start of it, given I hadn’t played in the season leading up to the pre-season with Melbourne,” she told melbournefc.com.au.

“I’ve been really impressed with the program and I’ve been able to adapt to it. My hamstring is a bit niggly here and there, but I’ve got a really good support network.

“My skills and knowledge about football have grown exponentially. [Coach] Mick [Stinear] has taught us game sense … there has also been more specific stuff to my role in the backline with Pete Mercoulia, who has been awesome. I feel that I’ve had a really rounded pre-season up until this point.”

One of her biggest improvements over the pre-season was not looking too far ahead or getting worried about things out of her control.

“It’s all very exciting, but if I get too ahead of myself and think too much about the game, I’ll build myself up too much and I’ll get too excited,” Downie said.  

“I need to just focus on the present and I’ve found that when I do that, it’s been a really effective way for me to have the right focus points and really progress my game and development.”

The club

Upon her recruitment to the club, Downie told melbournefc.com.au that she didn’t want to play for any other team.

Now that she’s had time to get inside Melbourne, her initial statement has been validated, even if it hasn’t panned out how she expected.

“To be honest, it hasn’t played out how I thought. I expected a lot less support – not that I thought Melbourne would be an unsupportive club – but it’s totally exceeded my expectations, in terms of how supportive the club has been and how much of a positive environment it’s been,” she said.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been in such a positive, supportive environment in any club or any organisation or group in my life. That has completely exceeded my expectations.

“What it’s meant is that I’ve completely extracted as much as I can from this experience because I’ve had all of the support around me that I’ve needed. Most importantly, I’ve enjoyed every step of the way.

“There hasn’t been a moment where I haven’t enjoyed myself – because of the environment that Melbourne’s set up for their players and staff.”

Downie said another important factor had been the fact she had been able to slip straight into her role.

“I feel very fortunate to come into Melbourne, where not many people actually know who I am,” she said.

“It means that I’ve got a lot less external distractions compared to say, Hickey and Daisy. That places a lot of extra pressure on you, in terms of expectation. What that has allowed me to do is focus on what my role is in the team and it’s allowed me to do my best for the team.”

Ones to watch

Having spent the summer with 26 of her teammates, Downie is excited by the talent at hand. Aside from the likes of Pearce, Hickey and O’Dea, she said there were three players who had stood out to her over the pre-season.

“Karen Paxman is one of them. I think she’s a bit of an unsung hero. Every training session, she’ll put her best foot forward and probably works the hardest in the team,” she said.

“She’s one of those quiet achievers who won’t say much and doesn’t get much recognition, because she is a bit quieter, but when I think of a player who leads by example – in terms of training and applying herself in everything – I think of Paxy.

“Another two players I think have performed really well under the circumstances are Harriet Cordner and Emma Humphries. Humph has moved from interstate to play for Melbourne, so she’s had a total change of environment. She’s had to settle and bring her best to training and she’s excelled at that.”

“Harriet is someone who has come into this experience and needed to apply herself and take that extra step, because she’s got a soccer background, but she hasn’t put a foot wrong.

“She’s extremely proactive and has been really focused on getting the absolute most out of every drill. She tries to learn in every situation, so those three players have been the standouts in extracting the most out of the program.”

Being a leader

Although not officially one of the three leaders, Downie said she was determined to play a mentor role and assist the younger players coming through.

“Since the program’s started, I’ve been getting to know all of the girls and understand what’s important to them. I’ve tried to understand some of their concerns and I’ve been able to be a bit of a support for them,” she said.

“I think it’s really important that the players feel supported by the group – not just the experts and specialists around us.

“At the end of the day, those experts and specialists won’t be on the ground with us, so we need to feel that we’ve got each other’s back right through to the fourth quarter, when the times get really tough.

“I’ve really tried to play that supporting role to some of the players in the team. In terms of leadership, I’ve been working with Mick to build up my leadership skills, because I’ve been out of the game for a couple of years.

“In terms of the next couple of years, I would love to play more of a leadership role in my football, whether that’s with Melbourne or my local club at St Kilda. It’s most definitely a development item for me and something I’m looking to improve on.”

No doubt she will.