Moving interstate and away from family at a young age in pursuit of a football career is never an easy decision.
For Melbourne Victory player Ella O'Grady, however, it is one that has paid off in the form of being selected for her first-ever FIFA U20 Women's World Cup.
"It feels amazing," she expressed after the CommBank Young Matildas squad announcement in Sydney.
The forward was born in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong before her family made the move up to Brisbane when she was eight. There she was selected for the QAS before making the move back to Melbourne - out of home - just after turning 18.
"Living away from home, playing at Melbourne Victory, it's hard," she explained. "You just turn 18, and move out of home straight away."
O'Grady's path over the past 12 months has been far from straightforward, battling injuries and other hurdles in order to be selected for Leah Blayney's squad.
"I was out for three months with a concussion," she recalled. "Leading into my first ever A-League season, that wasn't how I really wanted to start."
The youngster made seven appearances in total for Melbourne Victory last season, scoring two goals, including a memorable goal on her debut against the Roar. She seemed destined to have a breakout professional season.
"And then of course a couple of months later, doing my hammy [hamstring] twice, also not how I wanted to continue my first A-League campaign," she continued.
"But the last nine months since doing my hammy, it's all about the main goal, which was getting to this World Cup. That was where my mind was at the whole time. I had to mentally get right first, and then once I was, [I had to] physically get right, get fit, and make sure I was ready to play."
It would have been an understandable decision to head back to Brisbane in search of home comforts after such a tumultuous first season.
However, O'Grady made the decision to move to Sydney instead, to fight for her spot and train at the highest possible level in preparation for the tournament.
"It is hard, but now that I made the squad, it's all worth it," she smiled.
As the team prepares for its first match of the tournament against hosts Colombia, O'Grady said that the bond that the squad has will hold them in good stead as they look to achieve their goals.
"We're a tight-knit group, so the friendships are obviously going to grow closer," she explained.
"And, you know, coming off a bronze at the AFC [U20 Asian Cup], we want more. We're ready to fight for each other, and we're ready to go get that goal."
It's little wonder, given what she has overcome to get to this point, that putting on the green and gold jersey means "everything".
"You only dream as a little kid," she recalled, "and when you look back at photos and you see that little kid smiling, you know all the effort put in by your parents, siblings, teammates, coaches - everything that you work for, for each other."
"It means everything you could ever dream of."
MATCH SCHEDULE | FIFA U-20 WOMEN'S WORLD CUP COLOMBIA 2024™
Colombia v Australia
Date: Saturday, 31 August 2024 / Sunday, 1 September 2024 (AUS)
Time: 6.00pm (local) / 9.00am (AEST)
Venue: Estadio El Campín, Bogotá, Colombia
Broadcast: 10Play
Mexico v Australia
Date: Tuesday, 3 September 2024 / Wednesday, 4 September 2024 (AUS)
Time: 5.00pm (local) / 8.00am (AEST)
Venue: Estadio El Campín, Bogotá, Colombia
Broadcast: 10Play
Australia v Cameroon
Date: Friday, 6 September 2024 / Saturday, 7 September 2024 (AUS)
Time: 5.00pm (local) / 8.00am (AEST)
Venue: Estadio El Campín, Bogotá, Colombia
Broadcast: 10Play
