“In the club’s mind I think they wanted someone to carry through from VFLW to AFLW. So it has been a little bit of an audition for the past two years. But it hasn’t been my goal to be the AFLW coach, it’s just been to do a pretty good job through the VFL program, and then it’d take care of itself in the end.”

Brennan sent shockwaves through AFLW circles in April when she defected from the Western Bulldogs - where she had been captain - to sign with the Tigers.

Brennan has made her name as a forward but is keen to prove herself as a regular midfielder. Hunter said Brennan was still learning the craft at VFLW level, but was optimistic she’d be able to play in the guts next year.

“We value what she does,” Hunter said.

“She’s clean with ball in hands, she kicks both sides of the body, she can win the ball at ground level, and what we’re finding is now, when she pushes forward, it’s very hard for key defenders to match up on her, but it’s even harder for midfielders to be able to go with her and compete with her in the air. We’ll continue to build her tank.