JESS Rentsch realised her dream late last year when she was drafted to the West Coast Eagles with pick number two in the AFLW draft, but her hard work definitely didn’t stop there as she continues to work towards preparing for her debut season at the top level.

Rentsch was shocked to hear her name called out so early on draft night, she had initially planned to stay at the family farm to watch it on television before a call from her new coach changed that.

Packing up your life and moving to the other side of the country is not an easy thing to do and would’ve been intimidating for many 18-year-olds, but this Eagle couldn’t have been more excited to land in Perth and get stuck into pre-season training.

‘Rentschy’ has quickly become well-loved within the four walls of the club, with her bubbly and infectious personality shining through.

The Penshurst export has adjusted well to life in Western Australia with a network of family helping make the move a smooth transition.

“I have settled in quite quickly, there is such a belonging piece within the club’s values and it just welcomes you and makes you feel right at home,” she said.

“Training has been good, it’s pre-season so obviously tough … it’s finally good to train at the highest level and feel challenged at every turn.”

The Eagles’ will host Richmond at Mineral Resources Park in their round one clash next month, a game that Rentsch is working hard to earn selection for.

“I’m super excited, I would love to be playing round one but obviously there is so much talent and I’ll really have to strive and dedicate myself entirely for this last month,” she told The Spectator.

The former Good Shepherd College student said having one of the pioneers of the women’s game and AFLW great, Daisy Pearce as her coach had been an amazing experience.

“(The) feedback from Daisy has been good, I am just being a sponge and soaking it all up,” she said.

“I think building my footy IQ is a focus for me at the moment as well, just (being) set in one position and learning that.”

Rentsch didn’t expect to be playing in the midfield early on in the season, but she hoped to get some experience in the position at some point.

The 19-year-old has always searched for improvement within her game and is incredibly dedicated to becoming the best player she can be.

Training in an elite environment has given her the opportunity to improve different aspects of her game, which has helped her become more versatile.

This has included spending a fair bit of time in the gym to significantly improve her strength to further compliment her style of play.

“My focus has just been on progress with everything; just improving my tank, kicking ability, strength, tackle technique, all of it,” she said.

“After every session we are straight into the gym, lifting heavy and some cardio top-up as well, the body is feeling stronger.

“When testing came around I wasn’t far behind players that had been there for 2-3 years.”

Adding to the task is that Rentsch suffered a broken leg the year before her draft year, which meant fitness was also a big emphasis last year ahead of the AFLW Draft.

The former Greater Western Victoria (GWV) Rebels captain has been training the house down and impressing her coach as a result.

“Lots of players have impressed me, one that comes to mind is Jess Rentsch,” Pearce said.

“She’s been able to come over, move states as an 18-year-old kid, and just come in and hit the ground running and has attacked every challenge.

“She played some WAFLW footy, she’s really endeared herself to the group with the character she is … she just dives into every challenge head first, which we love.”

Rentsch made the most of her four WAFLW appearances for East Perth with some strong performances which gave Eagles supporters plenty to smile about.

She had 14 disposals, five marks, two tackles and a goal in her debut game against West Perth and was named the team’s best player.

She continued to impress across her next three matches against Swan Districts (14 disposals, seven tackles), Claremont (11 disposals, three tackles) and Peel Thunder (16 disposals, four tackles, five inside 50s).

Rentsch said she enjoyed getting a bit of match fitness and felt playing a few games with East Perth greatly benefited her AFLW preparation.

“It was different playing on mature bodies, the focus was on just getting used to not being the strongest anymore,” she said.

The Eagles’ number seven has pulled on the royal blue and gold guernsey twice this year for practice matches against Gold Coast Suns and Fremantle.

She has exhibited her ferocious attack on the football in both matches, impressing with her elite work ethic and laying some bone-crunching tackles in the process.

The Eagles finished 17th last year with a season record of 2-8, leading to the Eagles entering the draft with pick two and the south-west star heading west.

The teenager is hoping to be part of a resurgence up the ladder in 2024 and isn’t overcomplicating things with a pretty simple plan for her game.

“(My goal is) just to play at a high level consistently, recover well and play with intensity and conviction,” she said.

The AFLW season has 10 home and away matches before finals, and while West Coast has struggled for a few seasons now, they will be hoping to win a few more games this season.

Rentsch’s season will kick off on August 30 against Richmond if selected, with the game to be televised on Channel 7.

Rentsch’s first game in Victoria will be in round three, with the Eagles facing the Western Bulldogs at Whitten Oval on September 12.