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A huge lover of the game, her teammates and the club – Shae Nevill plays her 100th game for the South women’s team today.Nevill said she is incredibly excited to be playing this milestone game, “Very humbling already - some of the kind words that I’ve already received - and I’m just really looking forward to the weekend.”Nevill played in the inaugural season of the local women’s competition, “Well I’m one of those people that my 100 games have been spread across an extended period of time and that’s thanks to me moving to Adelaide to go to uni. So my first game was back in 2012 when the league first started, so that was some time ago,” she said. “I remember the first season pretty clearly, and my style of footy has changed dramatically and my style in what I wore on the field has changed dramatically as well, but it was just a different kind of footy back then.“It was girls that wanted to get out there and give it a crack and have fun, and now we’ve developed skills and developed a sense for the game and clubs in that have developed in themselves and it’s become just a really great, professional outfit, the local competition.”When speaking about how she’s grown as a player, Nevill said “Well it’s funny you ask that. When you reflect on me as a player, I was one of those that started playing AFL when I was 15 and being someone who’s always been quite social, footy was a little bit the opposite for me, I went out and I just wanted to play. “I lived for training. I lived for game day. But I really didn’t get around the social aspect of the club while I was finishing out high school. Following on from that, I really found this great connection with the community that the South Footy Club is, so I’d say my biggest growth was in that aspect,” she said. “My leadership skills converted onto the field and I was able to really implement those aspects in life that I’ve developed elsewhere and just see that grow in a footy aspect. And skills-wise, I’ve improved out of sight out of mind, but I was lucky prior to footy that I was one of those kids that always kicked the footy in the back yard, so I had a taste before we started.”To Nevill, the South Football Club is more than just a club, it’s a family. “It’s a place that I love to spend a lot of my time and devote my time to. It’s given me so many opportunities as well as lessons in life and that I’m still getting every time I step foot in the club,” she said. “So I’ve come to appreciate the aspects of the footy club that it can give to me and a big thing for me moving forward is making sure that the environment and the culture at the club can be experienced by all the people around me and the people that are coming through under me.Nevill was South’s vice-captain in 2018, co-captain in 2019 with Sarah Gillespie and this year is part of the leadership group alongside Abbey Johns and Bronte Johns. “Working into the leadership roles over the last few years has been something that I’m incredibly proud of and, particularly this year, we’ve seen new coaches come in and changes dramatically with the team dynamic, with new players and probably a generation of new players starting to roll through. “So it’s been incredibly humbling for me to receive that role and play my part in establishing a culture that is a winning culture, but, at the same time, is a community that is safe for young girls to come through and for everyone to enjoy the great game that it is.”Nevill was part of the South Women’s Premierships in 2016 and 2017, which sit at the top of her list of highlights and achievements. “Obviously the two flags, they’re memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life,” she said. “Being a part of several of the representative teams and obviously winning the championships this year, that’s just unreal. Just different moments throughout each year. Every year has been very different, and the group has changed throughout time, but I’ve come to meet some of my best friends that will stay with me for the rest of my life, through this footy club. And developed, as I said, skills that, not only in a sporting or community sense but in a professional sense, that I’ll continue to develop as I progress through my career and social community life.”Nevill is excited about how the team is tracking at this point in the season. “I’ll be honest, I’m really looking forward to the back end of the season. We’re putting it in on the track and our game plan is really coming to fruition, testing and trialling new things as we get into the back end of the year. But I think we’re ready to come home hard and give it our best crack come the finals series.”Nevill extended a few thank you’s to those who have been there for the duration of her career so far. “A big thank you to the footy club, my coaches and the management around that aspect of things and also my family, who have probably been my biggest motivator in my footy career. And also my teammates, as I said, some of my best friends I’ve created through this team, but I’m lucky I’ve got 30-odd best friends now, every training and every game is a privilege to be a part of that team.”