You could learn a lot about Nina Morrison this week if you go and listen to the numerous interviews she’s done in the lead up to her 25th game this weekend against Sydney.

Try as they might, most interviewers have struggled to get the superbly mulleted Morrison to talk about herself, instead, she expertly, and naturally, deflects to her team and teammates.

And fair enough too, the Cats are arguably the story of the latest AFLW season after winning just three games combined over the last two seasons and are now charging into their first AFLW finals series since 2019 on the back of a powerful midfield led by Morrison, Amy McDonald, Georgie Prespakis and Becky Webster and one of the league's stingiest defences.

But Morrison’s individual story is pretty special too.

Taken with the 1st pick of the 2018 AFLW draft on the back of a standout junior career, things were going exactly to plan when she received a nomination for the 2019 AFL Rising Star award in her debut game against Collingwood.

But it was then that the music stopped and over the next three seasons she would play just seven games after suffering two ACL injuries to the same knee.

Suddenly, what seemed inevitable seemed uncertain.

Despite her public, but genuine, humility she does concede that she has thought about this weekend’s milestone ‘a fair bit'.

“I think that in the AFLW these sorts of milestones don’t come around as quickly or aren’t as significant in the number of games we’re playing compared to the men," she told the Geelong Advertiser this week, "but I think that especially after the rocky start I’ve had to my career, it’s nice to be able to get to 25.

“It’s pretty significant in that sense and just to get that level of continuity and consistency in games that I’ve been able to play has been really nice. Hopefully, it’s the start of good things to come.”

Since the 'rocky start', Morrison has now racked up 17 games in the 2022 calendar year, including every game this season, and the continuity, unsurprisingly, is having a major impact on her game.

Morrison has posted career highs in most major statistical categories this year and, still only 21 years old, the sky is the limit.

Geelong coach Dan Lowther clearly agrees.

“It's phenomenal for her to get to 25 games, it feels like she's been around the competition since its inception of it, but she's just one of the most genuine, driven people that I've ever met," he said this week.

“She leaves no stone unturned in terms of her prep and the way she plays the game, she's a student of the game, she's a leader of our club and she's still only 21. 

“That's the beauty of where she's sitting after two knee reconstructions. Considering what she's put together in nearly two seasons of football, she has a significant impact on the way we play our game and the success we've had, she's a major part of that.”

The Cats take on the Swans this Saturday at 5.10pm at GMHBA Stadium.