Such has been the remarkable impact of Mikayla Bowen over an extended period of time, both on and off the field, it is hard to envision a Geelong AFLW program without her. 

An extraordinary personality and a highly talented footballer, Bowen has become an absolute staple of the Cats' AFLW team and she is set to reach another significant milestone, with her 75th AFLW game awaiting on Sunday afternoon. 

The star Cat's journey did not commence in the blue and white Hoops, with Bowen drafted by and spending her first three seasons with West Coast, but eventually she found her home at the Cattery in 2022. 

Since then she has played a variety of roles as the team has required, most recently spending time as a more permanent midfielder and impressing, but her tenacity and strong approach around contests has been the standout feature. 

Ahead of her milestone match on Sunday against the Gold Coast Suns, Bowen said that it is an achievement she will cherish while also giving her the chance to reflect on her time with the Cats. 

"75 games in AFLW terms, it is still a pretty big achievement given that we play such a small amount of games every year," Bowen told Cats Media. 

"I don't even know what season it is for me now, but there are a lot of pre-seasons that go into making that happen.

"Incredibly proud and I think more so than anything, just grateful to be doing it in this jumper.

"I really, really feel grateful to have played most of my career now for Geelong, it is a pretty cool sentence to say.

"To be able to run out there with the girls for my 75th, it will be really cool."

Bowen's AFLW journey started out west as she spent three seasons with the Eagles, quickly showing the competition the immense talent that she had at her disposal. 

But ahead of Season 7 in 2022, she opted for a change and was ultimately traded to Geelong, a huge get for the emerging Cats outfit. 

Bowen made her debut in the Hoops in the opening round of Season 7, immediately introducing herself to the Geelong faithful with a strong performance against Richmond. 

She would continue to go from strength to strength over the following campaigns, setting a new career-high in the final round of the 2025 season with a 30-disposal and two-goal outing against Melbourne. 

What has been most impressive however has been her consistency, with Bowen not missing a single game since joining Geelong, noting that the physical side of her game is something she has worked really hard on. 

"The body is such a massive thing for me," Bowen said. 

"I think as an athlete, you often try to push as hard as you can over the off-season which I have definitely tried to do, and prioritise whether that is physically or mentally. I think for me, there has been a massive factor that at the end of the day, if I can't get out on the field then there is not much I can do, other than support my teammates vocally and get around the group.

"So I think that has been a massive thing for me, is finding the balance between knowing how hard to push.

"I'm actually living with one of our new draftees, Priya, who is in her first year and it is really interesting having that conversation, the differences between it taking lots of seasons for your body to really become accustomed to the demands of AFL footy.

"You have to look after yourself to be able to get out on the park."