Muscling up on the offensive line against grown men would be a huge burden for most gridiron players but for Gladiator Daniela Stosic it's just another day in the life.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Stosic made history in the opening round of the 2020 ACT Gridiron season recently as the first woman to debut in ACT men's gridiron.
She admitted there were some nerves in the lead-up to fixture, but once on the field she felt at home.
"It was awesome," she said of her debut for Gladiators Gridiron Club.
"I was really nervous at the start but as my brother said, once you sort of get that first hit out of the way, all the nerves disappear.
"It wasn't as rough as I thought. I don't know if that is because they were nervous to hit me but I just thought I'd play that to my advantage.
"However, there was still good contact and physicality [throughout the game]."
The match was also a moment to remember for proud dad George, who lined up alongside his daughter and son Petar for the first time.
"It has been one of my dreams [to play alongside Daniela and Petar] until I hang up the boots, which I can do now because I have achieved that," he said.
The local competition, like many other sports, has felt the effects of the pandemic, with only two men's teams fielded for 2020.
And while grateful to be playing this season, Stosic hoped to see the reformation of a women's competition in the capital.
"We did have a season a couple of years ago and it has just fallen since then, so it would be great to get it back up and running and to have a strong women's league here in the ACT," she said.
Stosic was also keen to pursue a possible representative career.
"If we can't get an ACT team, I will be looking at possibly going to play for Western Australia," Stosic said.
"We were meant to have Australian team trials next year but I believe that has been postponed."