Wangaratta Rovers' Mikaela Trethowan enjoying senior netball and football

When she's not lining up in Wangaratta Rovers' A-grade netball side, the 21-year-old is hitting the field in the club's senior women's football team.

Trethowan is a former Murray Bushranger, but she admits she somewhat fell into the game.

"I was about 15 when I first started training with Tim Madden, he had a company for young athletes and we would do gym programs," she said.

"He was also the strength and conditioning coach at Murray Bushrangers.

"It wasn't until I was 18 that he finally convinced me to go along to some of the Bushies' trainings.

"And that's how I got into footy.

"It's nice having a bit of a change from netball, because that's the only thing I grew up playing."

It wasn't long before she experienced success on the field, playing in Thurgoona's 2018 and 2019 AFL North East Border Female Football League flags.

"I was still learning to play, so to have success so early on in my footy career was pretty exciting," she said.

Trethowan took her talents to the next level this season after joining the Southern Saints in the VFL Women's League.

While travelling from Wangaratta resulted in the commitment being too challenging, she's keen to see how far she can go in football.

"I would definitely love to take footy further," she said.

"We'll just wait and see what happens."

For now, it's an exciting time to be a Rover, with Trethowan set to aid the side in a preliminary final clash with Wodonga Raiders this weekend.

"I remember versing Rovers when I was with Thurgoona and they were struggling for numbers," she said.

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"The growth and development they've had over the last two to three years has been awesome.

"It's exciting to see the standard of the league growing."

A former Wangaratta Magpie, Trethowan is in her first netball season with the Hawks.

When she's not playing sport, fitness is still at the forefront of her mind as a personal trainer.

While Victoria's lockdowns have made competitions difficult this season, they've also taken a toll on the fitness industry.

"Both the girls at netball and footy have been really supportive," she said.

"We make sure we get around each other and check on how we're going."

"Now it's not so much about winning games, it's just being able to play and socialise."

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