Vivien Saad is a product of hard work; someone that has never given up on her dream to play AFLW.

On Friday, her dream became a reality when she was told she was the newest member of the North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos.

“After Jess Duffin announced her pregnancy we were granted a special allowance to find a replacement,” coach Scott Gowans explained to North Media.

The Kangaroos looked no further than the Melbourne University Women’s Football Club, where Saad had been excelling despite a limited time in the game.

A dual-code athlete, the 178cm former basketballer has become a competitive key position player with the ability to play at both ends and take a strong overhead mark.

“As much as we’d love to keep Jess in the side, we are equally excited to welcome Vivien into the team,” Gowans added.

Identified in North’s AFLW Talent Search, Saad earned a spot as the number one ruck for Melbourne Uni in 2019, going on to play 15 games.

“After her impressive inaugural season last year, she was invited to participate as an AFLW Train on Player for the pre-season where she attends one session per week,” Gowans said.

“Vivien has shown an incredible dedication to training and has developed very quickly since starting her football journey.

“She’s really thrived in the program and has been extremely impressive in match simulation. We had no hesitations in offering her the spot.”