Adelaide AFLW midfielder Abbie Ballard says making a big move away from her family farm is paying dividends, ahead of her third campaign with the Crows.

Ballard moved from Coomandook, a town almost two hours out of Adelaide, to pursue her dream of playing AFLW at the end of 2021, after the Crows selected her with Pick No.34 at the Draft.

The left-footer went on to play four games in her debut season, before a break-out performance in Season Seven led to her featuring in all 13 games.

Speaking to AFC Media, the 21-year-old said the move to Adelaide was paying off and gave her confidence to take her game to the next level.

“I was really happy with my performance last season, to be able to play every game - I was pretty stoked,” Ballard said.

“When I was living at home, I was driving four hours a night just to get to and from training and I was exhausted the next day, so it definitely helps living only ten minutes away.

“I’m able to get so many more extras in, it’s easier to get to the gym and do extra craft sessions so it’s definitely helped my game improve.”

As the on-baller prepares for her third campaign in the tri-colours, Ballard says she feels more comfortable within the team and that is helping her improve on-field.

“When you first come in, it can be so daunting and you have no idea what you’re doing,” Ballard said.

“It definitely helps when you know the girls and you feel so much more comfortable.

“I think because it was my second season I knew where I needed to be, coming in the first season you are not sure what the expectation is, so having one season experience definitely helped.”

Ballard said the team was eyeing off redemption, after a Preliminary Final loss in Season Seven, and she was looking forward to the new campaign kicking off.

“I think it’s going to be a really good season, there's been so much movement throughout the teams so it's going to be really interesting to see how everyone goes,” Ballard said.

“We are looking forward to giving Melbourne and Brisbane another crack, who we lost a couple of games to last season.

“We have all had a solid off-season and this pre-season we are smashing it so hopefully we can get to finals and have a good campaign.”

The 2023 AFLW Season kicks off in the first weekend of September, with the full fixture set to be released soon.Crows 2023 AFLW Memberships available here.