A strong women’s football culture in the Australian Defence Force has helped Crows ruck Rhiannon Metcalfe get to the top of her game.

Metcalfe, 25, was introduced to Australian Rules about three years ago through her job with the Royal Australian Navy.

The Defence Force held annual women’s football camps in Melbourne, where players got to build their skills and work towards selection in a final ADF side.

Metcalfe’s sporty background helped her pick up the new game in a hurry, making the final team and taking out the title of ‘Best First Year Player’.

“I think all your skills from other sports you’ve grown up with have just made it so easy to transition to playing football,” Metcalfe said.

“I just kind of fell in love with the game.”

When she isn’t dominating in the ruck, Metcalfe plays a very important role for the Navy as Leading Seaman Electronic Warfare.

“We deal with lots of unique pieces of equipment which allow us to identify contacts and ships that are outside visual range,” she said.

“Most of the time, we’re the first to detect any threats to the ship and we’re involved in a whole process of defeating that threat through launching different types of counter measures.”

As her work took her around the country, Metcalfe’s interest in footy grew.

Originally from Nelson Bay in New South Wales, Metcalfe joined the Western Wolves in Sydney and then the Gungahlin Jets in Canberra.

Last year, she decided to nominate for the inaugural AFL Women’s Draft.

Metcalfe could’ve played it safe and stayed in Canberra to aim for the Greater Western Sydney side.

Instead, she selected South Australia as her preferred destination and requested a posting to Adelaide.

“I was like, well, I want to play football, and I knew the Crows were going to be there [in the competition],” she said.

“I knew it would be a risk because nobody knew me in Adelaide. I had never had anything to do with South Australian football.

“Most these girls have played together in Adelaide for years on end so they already had the advantage of coming to the team knowing each other.”

The gamble to choose Adelaide has been worth its weight in gold, red and blue.

Metcalfe has led the Club's ruck division in the opening two rounds. She's ranked second in the competition for hit-outs behind only Collingwood marquee player Emma King.

At 185cm, Metcalfe is the tallest player in the Crows squad by six centimetres and her mere presence is imposing. During a scuffle against the Western Bulldogs on Friday night, she only had to wander up and stand over the pack to get the opposition to back down.

The speed of the game has been the biggest adjustment.

“It’s pretty quick, especially for someone my size trying to keep up with the shorter, agile players,” she said.

The boundary throw-in distance has been a talking point in the television coverage, as players and umpires alike adjust.

“The first game was more consistent in where the ball was going, but in the second game it was harder to judge,” she explained.

“You also have the wind come into play as well.”

The conditions don’t affect how much Metcalfe enjoys every moment.

“I think every time we take the field, you kind of have to pinch yourself,” she said.

“You have to appreciate it because we’re so flat out with one thing after another, full time work then straight into training.

“Sometimes you just need to take a moment to take it all in – this is actually pretty amazing.

“We’ve all got a lot to prove and we want to put on a good game and show everyone what we’ve got.”

Getting to meet young footy fans is another thrill.

The AFLW players have enjoyed a rapid rise to notoriety since the start of the competition.

“In Melbourne, we were staying at the accommodation and these two girls were like, ‘Oh my God, do you play AFL?’”

“I said, ‘I’m actually the Adelaide Crows ruckman’ and the look on their face, their jaws just dropped in absolute disbelief that they met a female football player.”

Metcalfe described her team’s upset road win over the Bulldogs as a big thrill.

Sunday morning’s top-of-the-table clash with Carlton at Thebarton Oval promises to be just as exhilarating. The match starts at 11:35am and entry is free.

“They (the Blues) are going to be a hard team to beat,” he said.

“But if we keep sticking to what we’ve been doing and everyone plays their role, it’s proven so far that it works effectively.”

If you haven’t spotted Metcalfe on the field yet, look out for her hand in the air before a ball up.

“The umpires tell us to nominate the rucks so there’s no confusion with the new rule,” she said.

“You’re not allowed a third man up.”

Apparently, even the AFLW players are still coming to grips with the terminology ...

“It’s hard trying to adjust to saying ‘third woman up!’” Metcalfe said with a laugh.