There are memorable moments in each player's career that alter the path of their journey, those proverbial 'sliding door' occasions that significantly shift the direction of their story. 

While every individual at the elite level will have a plethora of those moments, perhaps none have had more than young Cats defender Annie Lee. 

Across her AFLW career, Lee has featured in six seasons at three different clubs, landing at Geelong in 2026 and cementing her spot in the backline after making her club debut in Round 4. 

There have been injuries, connections with former Cats' captains and even a number of years abroad, all helping to create the incredible storyline that has been Annie Lee's journey to the elite level. 

Lee detailed how her first experiences with the AFL came when she grew up in Scotland, before returning to Australia and developing a deep passion for the game. 

"Pretty much my whole side of my Mum's family lives in Scotland," Lee told Cats Media. 

"When I was younger, we lived there for about five and a half years, when I was a little bubba.

"There is this one memory that pops up, when living in Scotland is around my Dad. He was born in Warrnambool and obviously, over there he tried to put the footy on. I just had no idea about and asked Dad to turn it off, put the cartoons back on and all that sort of stuff.

"I guess to go from that and then to come back over here and live here, then I started picking up the footy and immediately fell in love with it.

"I was just kind of known for being down at the oval kicking with my Dad, so straight away from Auskick and all throughout the Geelong local levels, I was obsessed with football."

After returning to Australia, Lee commenced her playing career at a junior level in the Geelong region, playing for both the Geelong Amateurs and Newtown & Chilwell prior to earning a chance at a higher level. 

Reflecting on the local clubs that helped her pave the way for an AFLW career, Lee noted that it is a time in her life that she holds dearly, while also helping her to appreciate the support from juniors in the same phase currently.  

"I look back very fondly on my local footy times," Lee said. 

"I have so much love for both Geelong Ammos and Newtown & Chilwell.

"It is something that I reflect on as well. When I am playing out there at GMHBA Stadium, seeing so many little girls and boys that are watching on, it definitely makes me reflect on when I was that age, looking up at the AFLW players.

"That is why it is so important, so I absolutely love that."

Lee's AFLW journey started in 2021 when she was selected by Carlton with Pick No. 10 in the draft, going on to make her debut in that season. 

The impressive defender spent three seasons with the Blues, before moving to Collingwood ahead of the 2024 campaign. 

Debuting in the opening round of the season, Lee suffered an unfortunate knee injury and missed the rest of the year, before injuries again curtailed her 2025 season. 

After being delisted by the Magpies, Lee then joined Geelong's VFLW program and put her best foot forward in 2026, making the VFLW Team of the Year and finishing third in the Cats' best and fairest award. 

Her impressive form and on-field leadership earned Lee another chance at the elite level, when she was signed by Geelong as a replacement player for the 2026 AFLW season, going on to make her club debut in Round 4 against Adelaide. 

Lee said she often looks back over the journey and is grateful for the opportunities she has had, with all roads leading back to Geelong. 

"I find myself reflecting on it a lot, that's for sure," Lee told Cats Media. 

"It has obviously been quite a big year, going from the VFLW and then coming into the AFLW season. It is absolutely a sliding door moment, that is for sure.

"I think that it is a bittersweet feeling, I have also been in the position on the other side of an injury replacement player, where I have missed the season.

"So I feel like I am able to just be really grateful for the opportunity that I was given, and I feel like I have been able to take it with two hands. It is definitely bittersweet, but I am really enjoying it."

The Geelong AFLW connection extends back much further than 2026 for Lee, who also had a link to former Cats captain and All-Australian, Mel Hickey. 

"I actually met up a couple of times with Mel Hickey, prior to being drafted," Lee said. 

"She was my Vic Country coach, so I had that connection there, then obviously with the Geelong Falcons as well. I was just trying to lean on her, just getting all the advice that I could from a player that has played in this league, but also captained in this league.

"So I leaned on her, then went on and got drafted and had my own experience in the league. Then I have reconnected with her throughout coaching, now she is with the Falcons.

"So that has been another full circle moment with her, so it has been nice to be able to catch up."

The remarkable journey of Annie Lee has led to this weekend, as she prepares to feature in her first AFLW Final as the Cats take on Melbourne at IKON Park on Saturday. 

A win on the weekend would progress Geelong through to a Preliminary Final, with just two victories standing between them and a maiden Grand Final berth. 

Lee said that there is a different energy around GMHBA Stadium this week, in the build up to the blockbuster battle with the Demons. 

"There is definitely a buzz around the place, that's for sure," Lee said. 

"It is a really exciting time, obviously for the club, but then individually as well. It is something that I haven't been a part of, I haven't played Finals before.

"It is definitely a nice little buzz around the place, so it is exciting."