Growing up in Victoria, for Rebecca Privitelli, footy was her entire life.

While Victoria offers plenty of opportunities – “and that's why it's the home of footy” – the GIANTS recruit admitted that it quickly became about "being the best and playing at the highest level."

After working at and playing for Carlton, Privitelli credits her move to Sydney in 2017 for giving her the clarity she needed to realise that to be at her best she required balance. 

"I think I needed to understand that there are other things in life other than just footy and I think Sydney helped me do that," Privitelli said. 

At the end of 2018, Privitelli was delisted by the GIANTS, admitting she didn't necessarily put herself in the best position during her season with the club. She subsequently chose not to nominate for the draft after having no intention of playing within the months that followed.  

The talented forward used the next year to do "different things that I have put time into that I wouldn't have done if I didn't have 12 months to reassess my life and work out where I wanted to go, and if playing at this level is something I truly wanted to do”.

Ultimately, her love for footy pulled her back to the GIANTS, nominating to put herself in a position to be selected by the GIANTS for the upcoming 2020 AFLW season.

"The important thing for me is finding the enjoyment in footy all the time and also just trying to have the belief that I am good enough and deserve to be here,” she said.

 The recruit admits that she feels "better prepared this time around”. 

Draft day, whether it’s your first or third time, is described by Privitelli as "the best and worst day”. Privitelli recounts that it was towards the back end of the draft where she believed they were not going to read her name out.

"I thought surely Al (Coach Alan McConnell) was playing with me, then it (her name) came out at like 90, and he texted me ‘welcome back’," she laughed. "It was very relieving." 

Privitelli's first experience with the club after being drafted was an unforgettable reception.

"I remember being greeted by Leon Cameron and Dave Mathews,” she said.

“ I felt very comfortable being back here – it's a club like no other. I truly feel like that when I am here, and it's very different.

"It's not competing to be better than the club next door, it's doing what we are doing here, and we are a family here."

For Privitelli, another motivating factor for signing with the club was the focus given to woman's footy.

"When I come here, I feel like it's something the GIANTS are always striving to get better at and that's really important for me," she said.

With a promising future as a professional footballer revived, Privitelli's focus is on finding what's important to her. 

The Melbourne native, who loves music and admits her "favourite thing in the world is my record player", now works at a music management company with "incredibly supportive bosses".

"I think my bosses understand what it's like to balance something that you're passionate about with work commitments,” she said.

“I've got them supporting me, and they love footy, absolutely love their footy, which helps me." 

So, what does the forward hope to achieve in the 2020 season?

"I want to get the most out of myself this year and contribute to the team any way I can,” she said.

“Hopefully, that means playing round one and the season. That's why we are here, and that's what we all want at the end of the day, to play. So hopefully set myself up for a long-term footy career."