A premiership medal has so far eluded Melbourne’s captain Daisy Pearce, widely regarded face of the AFLW, but the Demons star says her football journey has been “so much more than that”, as she’s found fulfilment outside the flag dream.

Last season, when Melbourne made the grand final for the first time in competition history, a narrative was quickly created around “Do it for Daisy”. Pearce speaks to sports reporter for The Age, Marnie Vinall, about the upcoming preliminary final against North Melbourne at Ikon Park on Saturday, where the Demons are the strong favourites to progress into another grand final.

“The beauty of AFLW footy is the amount of time you spend together, and the time and level that you can connect on," says Pearce. "You know, people that just challenge and inspire every day, in all walks of life, not just to get better at footy, but just to be better in general, has been awesome."