WHILE recovering from a torn ACL, Brisbane forward Sophie Conway watched on as a large group of players left the club for expansion teams.

Conway needed a knee reconstruction in June 2018, ruling her out of the 2019 AFLW season, meaning she was in the final stages of rehab when 11 players moved from the club to new sides Gold Coast, Richmond, St Kilda and West Coast.

FULL FIXTURE Every round, every game

Speaking to the Credit to the Girls podcast, Conway said despite her long stint on the sidelines, the appeal of a fresh start never crossed her mind.

"I never thought about taking up an opportunity. I wanted to get back. The most important thing for me was to get back to the game I love playing, and I knew that was definitely with the Brisbane Lions," Conway said.

"The staff were there from the get-go and I wanted to give back to them as well. They were there from day dot to day finish, so I wanted to appreciate what they'd done for me.

FOLLOW THE LEADER Your club's 2020 captain and leadership group

"It's always sad and disappointing to see players leave, but the way AFLW's going and the way it's expanding, that's part of the industry.

"It's never good, because you develop such a connection with the players over time, then they leave and you have to do the same with new players coming in. But the way AFLW's going, in hindsight, it's a really good thing for the competition."

In this episode…

Sophie Conway discusses her return to football, reflects on how she fell in love with the game, and reveals just who gets the coach his coffee. Hosts Sarah Black and Lucy Watkin then take a look at all the action to come in round two.

Episode guide

1:33 – The good, bad, ugly and unique from round one of the 2020 NAB AFLW season

4:50 – Brisbane young gun Sophie Conway joins the show

8:29 – An unfortunate Conway family coincidence

12:05 – The reason Conway chose to stick with the Lions

15:33 – Stories of GenW: how Conway got into footy

19:45 – Quick hands

22:06 – Sarah and Lucy take a look at round two

31:35 – On the socials: A Pie with big news and a singing Kangaroo