Adelaide AFLW midfielder/forward Brooke Boileau says a pre-debut game chat with a three-time Premiership teammate is what gave her the belief she belonged at the top level.

Boileau earned her AFLW debut in the Crows’ opening Round match against Port Adelaide, after impressing during her first pre-season.

The 19-year-old capped her first game with a 14-point victory against the crosstown rivals.

And she has since revealed how former Skipper and Adelaide veteran Chelsea Randall pulled her aside for a talk and how that helped settle the nerves.

“Everyone was really excited for me,” Boileau said.

“But Chelsea Randall reached out and she was so inspirational, she shared some words and made me a bit teary.

“Chels said she was proud to share my debut with me and that I had earned it after working so hard.

“That chat really meant a lot.”

The Crows selected Boileau with their first pick at the 2023 AFLW National Draft after a standout national championships for SA, in which she averaged the third-most disposals and clearances across the carnival.

She then featured in Rounds Two, Six and Seven of Season AFLW 2024, averaging 6.5 disposals and 3.5 tackles per game.

Reflecting on her first League campaign, Boileau said she had exceeded her own expectations but still had plenty of improvement to come.

“It was so cool to make my debut in the Showdown - it’s something I had dreamed of - the crowd was insane and it was great to get the win,” Boileau said.

“To play four games in total is something I am so grateful for, I wasn’t really expecting to even play one game in my first year.

“I definitely learnt a lot, though, like how important it is to make the most of each training session, doing all the one-percenters and putting in the extras to get a good outcome.”

Boileau did, however, encounter a setback during her debut season.

In the lead up to the Crows’ Round 10 match against Geelong, she suffered a compound dislocation of her finger at training.

Although she was able to rejoin main training ahead of the Crows’ Semi-Final against Fremantle, Boileau said it was difficult to break into the team after that.

“We were playing a handball game and the competitiveness in me came out, and I went to do a little dive and hit one of the girls’ shoes with my fingers,” Boileau said.

“My finger just popped out and I kind of just looked down and saw my bone and it was more of a shock than anything.

“I didn’t need to have surgery on it so I could still train at the back end of the season, which was good.

“I got the feeling I was super close but just off (selection) by that marginal bit but it’s still good to be with the girls and in the same environment watching how they prepare for games.”

Boileau said she was looking forward to a break but was keen to return fitter and stronger as she looked to become a regular for the Crows in 2025.

“I’m hoping to improve my running capacity so I can be a bit more explosive,” Boileau said.

“I want to be able to play more midfield minutes, so that will help, and I’d love to have more power in my legs to break packs and be more clean with the ball.

“We’ll get our individual training plans for the off-season soon and then by the time we come back together it will be more team-focused goals.

“We know we can go one further and we aren’t satisfied with making another Prelim, so we just need to tweak a few things but we all know we are capable.”