Jess (left) and Sarah played for the Seaford Tigers in the VFLW. Credit:Simon Schluter "So I can tell you now, she has done so many things off the field just to have such a big impact on the group whether she realises or not, she had been a huge part of the culture and what we have created." Jess initially offered a sheepish yet good humoured "No comment" on the levels of mail she attracted, but eventually conceded, "Yeah I did get a little bit over Christmas and New Year. I was very surprised by that. I think he funniest thing is when some of the fans come up and say, 'Oh you're my favourite player' and I am like, 'How? I haven't even played yet!' " For Jess, not being fit to play meant she focused on adding to the club in other ways, one of them spending a lot of time with fans. "I will give time out of my day to talk to people and I guess that's part of last year for me or what I found really fun," Jess said. "When the girls were training or playing and had commitments I was able to go round mingling with people, take photos with everyone and yeah I guess that's one of the parts I enjoyed most."

Carlton leaders, from left, Sarah Hosking, Brianna Davey and Lauren Arnell. Credit:Carlton Football Club Sarah then added: "She just has that impact on people." Keeping said both Sarah and Jess had an "infectious" influence on their teammates, and that their willingness to learn football, given their netball backgrounds, was a credit to their discipline and application. Jess (left) missed last year due to injury while Sarah played every game for Carlton. Credit:Simon Schluter "Beyond the playing field the character they have, the care they have for their teammates and their inclusiveness fits with the value set we are looking to build. They have been incredible to have in the group," he said.

"It's been one of the pleasing aspects of this experience. Our members and fans have engaged with all of our fans really well. Both Sarah and Jess, you just need to be around them and you feel the passion and commitment they have and it rubs off on people. To be close to seeing them both run out together is exciting." Sarah Hosking lays a tackle. Credit:Michael Dodge I don't even think we have had a proper argument. - Sarah Hosking The 22-year-olds live with their parents on the Mornington Peninsula. They began playing football in 2016 after a school teacher tagged them in a Facebook post promoting an AFLW talent search. After that they were encouraged to join the Seaford Tigers and after a couple of games there were scouts in attendance to watch them play. Carlton made it clear they would take Sarah quite high. The only issue would be if another club got her first, given she had been talking to a few. The midfielder eventually went at pick No.19.

Jess was less certain of being drafted given her injury. Carlton were the only team interested and they selected her at No.78. Sarah works as a lifeguard, a swimming teacher and sometimes at a school. She also studies. Jess has just started full-time work as a sports assistant in the PE department at Mentone Girls Grammar. It takes them up to two hours to drive to training, after getting up at 7am and putting in a full day of work or study. They don't get home until midnight, but wouldn't have it any other way. Luckily for them their workplaces are flexible so they can meet their footy commitments, so long as they make up the time in the off-season. Those long drives will all be worth it when the twins play their first game of AFLW together, hopefully in Friday's season opener against Collingwood at Ikon Park.

"At the end of the day whether it is round one, two, three, four or five, as long as some stage in the season we get to play together we will be absolutely rapt," Sarah said. "It's going to be so special." While Jess said: "Because it has been such a big build-up is probably why I am so excited for it. The fact I have had to wait a year and a half, watching everyone last year was hard and knowing how bad I wanted to get out there then. But I am very excited for it this season." She said their nanna, parents, brother and a host of family and friends would be at Friday's game, including Danielle and Kirsten, the teachers who tagged them in the Facebook post about AFLW try outs. "Yeah we are still good friends with them and our teachers," Sarah said. "They keep in touch and remind us they were the ones that got us where we are now." Soon the Hoskings will move out of home for the first time. They will live together about 30 minutes from Carlton.

"I think we will be fine, we both love cooking so ..." Sarah started, before Jess interrupted: "It will be whether or not she can actually clean." "I feel like my flaws will match Jess' and in a sense it will be good, we will both chip in," Sarah continued. "Jess is always the one that saves so I keep telling her she is going to buy a house and I am just going to live in it. "I don't even think we have had a proper argument so I have always seen us moving out for a bit until we grow up a little bit more." The energy the pair give off is undeniable. They're constantly laughing at – or interrupting – one another. They have a special, almost telepathic bond, they said, but it's not weird to them anymore.

"Jess had a couple of operations when she was a toddler and they had to do a few blood tests for her," Sarah said. "The doctor sat us back-to-back and the second the needle went into Jess' arm her mouth opened but no sound came out, and I just started screaming. "I couldn't see anything! And then the second it was done I stopped, everything was fine." Another time, Jess explained, her dad picked her up from kindergarten early for a doctor's appointment and left Sarah at kindergarten. About 10 minutes down the road Jess said, "Dad, Sare is crying for me", and he said "Oh no, she is fine, she is at kinder she'll be right". They got back to the kindergarten and their dad asked the teacher how Sarah behaved while Jess was gone. The teacher replied: "She was fine but 10 minutes after you left she sat down on the ground and started screaming." "It definitely doesn't happen now, the crying," Sarah said. "But if you do see it out on the field just let me know."

That unspoken connection extends to sport. "We have our own language," Jess said. "And on the footy field most people will say to us we have something going on and know where each other are ... like passing the ball without looking and you know they're there. We are keen to put that together out on the field. "I just know she is going to be there." The twins also love an adrenaline rush. Jess planned for the group to do a commando-style obstacle course in the pre-season but they couldn't fit it into the schedule. Unperturbed, she has rescheduled for after the season. So what's the wildest risk they've taken? "This one is probably more stupidity than anything else," Sarah warned. "But when we were in high school, you know the automatic curtains you'd have in the middle of the gym [to separate basketball courts]?

"We used to have competitions to see who could hold on the longest [as they went up to the roof]. Someone would be pressing the button and we'd be holding on as it goes up. We'd wait until we got to the top and then we'd get to the top and realise, 'Shit! One of us has to actually jump down!' Jess added: "We'd be next to each other and hold on and the competitive edge made us both get to the top and then it was the drop down. "The arms didn't hurt so much hanging on, it was once we landed because we weren't smart enough to put crash mats underneath – just hope the other one was underneath to break the fall. "We used to get the trampolines and stuff out too and we'd set up crash mats and run into the trampolines and chuck any flip we can." Carlton finished fourth on the eight-team AFLW ladder in 2017. They won the season's first two games but consecutive losses in rounds three and four, and then another loss in round six, consigned them to missing the grand final.

The Blues were aggressive in the trade period and acquired two stars of the game in Tayla Harris (Brisbane) and Nicola Stevens (Collingwood). Added to names they retained – like Davey, Vescio and Alison Downie – some say their list is the best in the league. "Every team has a goal to get to the grand final," Sarah said. "The way you break it down will be at the end of the day the key to getting there. We have worked hard to nail the game plan in the off-season. The likes of Tay and Nic in that one period and then our two rookies Maddy Gay and Kerryn Harrington, I think we are all really excited to see play. "Personally growing from last year is my goal. My season was a little bit up and down for my thoughts … I have worked hard in the off-season on getting my fitness levels up again to make sure I can run out a full game. And also my skills, take the next step up in skill execution." Loading For Jess, her goals are a lot more simple, yet just as significant.