THE call that every young footballer is hoping to receive arrived for Jessica Rentsch as she gained an invitation to the AFLW Combine camp to be held in October, where she hopes to impress club recruiters enough to be drafted into the AFLW system.

Currently the captain of the Greater Western Rebels female team, Rentsch has been earmarked for greater things from an early age as her game continued to develop as she gets older.

To be invited to the camp is a huge honour and may lead to her being drafted, but she is yet to be advised as to what to expect.

“I know that there will be AFLW recruiters there and that they will be testing 2km (time trail), (my) vertical jump, agility test and yo-yo,” Rentsch said.

The Yo-Yo test is like the endurance beep test, where athletes must cover a distance between two points before the sounding of a beep, otherwise they are eliminated.

The process is something that Rentsch has been keeping an eye on and one that she has been working towards.

“Yes, it would be such a blessing and so surreal if I got drafted,” she said.

The camp, and the possible drafting to an AFLW club, is something Rentsch has been working towards for her entire career.

“I have played since I was little, and I did Aus Kick, U12’s and U16’s with the Penshurst football and netball club and then moved into Hamilton to join the Kangaroos.”

Like all youngsters, Rentsch has her footballing idols that she looks up to.

“Chelsea Randal (Adelaide Crows) for her courage and Madison Prespakis (Essendon) for her ability to duck and weave between players is really inspiring to watch,” she said.

“But my family has been my greatest inspiration across my journey.”

The 2023 season was a bonus for Rentsch as she was recovering from a broken leg that required surgery, but she managed to get fit enough to play round one which was a huge accomplishment as she was selected on the half back flank.

The team played well this year and reached the finals, but Rentsch was unable to play due to having further surgery on her leg.

“As a captain I was super proud of the team, they played really well and we came into form right around finals,” she said.

“I was disappointed that I couldn’t play finials as I was having surgery to get the metal removed from my knee.

“I felt I played alright I could have played better, but in my last game I left it all out there.”

Like most youngsters, Rentsch has no preference as to which club she gets picked up by, she wants to play at the highest level.

“If I get drafted, it would be such a blessing and I don’t mind where I go… I would love to stay in Victoria; however, I think it would such an amazing opportunity to move states and travel a little bit.”