Three years after playing her first game of Australian rules, Colvin was picked up by the Demons with selection number 77 in the AFLW Draft.

A big season with VFLW club Darebin led to interest from a number of AFLW clubs and Colvin was 'over the moon' when Melbourne grabbed her with their third pick.

"It was a very nervous wait," Colvin said.

"I'd had a chat with a couple of clubs but I had no idea, they didn't give anything away.

"Melbourne had a lot of late picks so it was a very long wait."

Colvin, 28, was at work as a barista in Melbourne on Tuesday when she got the good news. She had been keeping an eye on the live steam when a number of text messages flooded through before she had actually heard her name read out.

Colvin was so excited that her boss gave her the rest of the day off.

"I had to leave work because I couldn't concentrate," Colvin said with a laugh.

"I'm stoked. It's pretty exciting."

Colvin's path to the AFLW has not been easy. She got her first taste of Australian rules during pre-season at Darebin in 2016 and tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) playing netball just days before being told she had made their VFLW squad.

Colvin returned a year later to debut and three seasons on finds herself as a Melbourne AFLW player.

"It's been a big three years playing footy down here in Melbourne," she said.

"The year I done my ACL was the year that everyone got picked up from VFL to AFLW so I stood on the sidelines and watching everyone go through that made me pretty hungry to make AFLW.

"So I worked back from the ACL and finally had a good crack at it this year, pulled my finger out, trained really hard. I did all the right things, got enough sleep, ate really well, did extra sessions, yoga, some altittude training and it all paid off.

"I'm pretty excited about it. It's been a pretty crazy ride."

Now she is on Melbourne's list, Colvin is determined to make her AFLW debut.

"My goal is definitely to get a game," she said.

"I've still got a lot to work on with my skills and stuff. I've got a lot to work on but I'm pretty excited by that. The physical side should be okay, it's just my skills that I need to work on."

Gabby is the daughter of Gary and Karen Colvin. She was a talented netballer at Collingullie-Glenfield Park before her move to Melbourne, where she lives with her partner Nathan Scott, a premiership player at East Wagga-Kooringal.

"I never really played when I was younger. I always played netball in Wagga. I didn't give footy a go until 2016," she said.

Gabby's father, Gary, said he is proud of his daughter's efforts and credited growing up with older brothers, Matthew and Brodie, for her resilience.

"We're rapt. She was always a good netball player," he said.

"She is 10 years younger than her brothers, who bashed her up so she's always been able to handle herself!"

Colvin, a defender, paid tribute to Darebin for everything the club has taught her and cannot wait to get started with the Demons.

"I had chats with Geelong and Melbourne and they both seemed like really good fits with their culture," she said.

"I would have been happy to go to either club but I'm stoked it's Melbourne. I know most of the girls there and have played with a lot of them before."

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