![Melrose defender Maya Davis. Picture: JAMES WILTSHIRE Melrose defender Maya Davis. Picture: JAMES WILTSHIRE](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/131362666/b532bed2-4145-483d-b24e-a447b92ec5aa.jpg/r460_321_4812_3208_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Maya Davis has landed a huge victory for gender equality by taking out the best and fairest for Melrose's Division 2 men's team.
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Davis, 22, had been due to play in the Division 1 women's competition but had to re-think when the club wasn't able to field a side.
Backed by Melrose, she opted to join the senior men and AWFA agreed to her request.
Davis' decision was vindicated by her performances and the end-of-season votes reflected her fearlessness as the sole female on the field.
![Melrose's Maya Davis. Picture: JAMES WILTSHIRE Melrose's Maya Davis. Picture: JAMES WILTSHIRE](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/131362666/65fdc514-8c18-4304-a651-bfa03b558d3a.jpg/r0_0_5047_3365_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"Ever since I was about six, I've always played in the boys' team," she said.
"When I started, there weren't any girls teams around so if I wanted to play, I had to play in the boys' team.
"As I got a bit older, there started to be a few more girls teams but the boys team just became my team because I'd played with them for so long.
"I ended up playing both; there were a few seasons when I was playing two or three games (in one weekend) so that I could play in the boys as well as the girls when I was needed.
![Maya Davis. Picture: JAMES WILTSHIRE Maya Davis. Picture: JAMES WILTSHIRE](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/131362666/93b2c581-4628-4a84-80f6-3228e93bdbc0.jpg/r0_334_4422_2948_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"I played a couple of seasons with the boys in Div 3 and this season was my first in Div 2 because we didn't have a senior ladies team. We lost a few girls to moving away and pregnancies, that sort of thing
"I'd been training with the men's group anyway, the coach approached me and said they were struggling for numbers in the senior squad and asked if I'd be interested to play.
"Having played with them before, it wasn't very foreign and Melrose was hugely supportive of it. Having that supportive environment, and having done it before, made for an easier transition."
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The physiotherapy graduate certainly made her presence felt during games.
"I'm pretty loud and bossy," Davis said. "I started off in the midfield, which is where I normally play with the girls, but as we had to shuffle a few players around, I got put in the backline.
"In the boys' team, I bring a bit more communication. I've known a lot of them for quite some time so they're all really good about it.
"I didn't expect any votes, so it was very humbling and surprising to finish the season with a best and fairest."
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