The centre half-forward and first captain of the Inverell Saints women’s division is a former player for the Chermside Park Panthers in south-east Melbourne. 

The 30-year-old is a born and bred Melbourian who joined the AFL in 2011 after playing basketball “for most of my life”. 

“I still play basketball but AFL is more of a team game,” Ms Barber said. “You need to work really well together to be a successful team

“You get fit, have fun [and] I find the AFL skill levels challenge me a bit more.”

Ms Barber came to Inverell in 2015, via Hawaii where she met a local lad while on a holiday cruise. At that time she retired from the game in Melbourne and there was no women’s team in her new home town. 

But last year she joined in a couple of informal games organised by the local women’s AFL development representative. And then early this year, despite worrying that an injury could hamper her ability to run her new business, Ms Barber went to some training sessions for the first women’s team. 

“I was hooked again,” she said. 

The new Saints team has between 20 to 25 registered players, ranging in age from 15 to 45 years.

“Only a couple have played AFL previously,” Ms Barber said. “A lot have basketball.”

The season runs from April to the finals in September and they play against the three other women’s teams in the region based at Armidale, Tamworth and Moree.

Women’s matches are not played every weekend as the Saints combine travel with the men’s AFL team, joining the away trips when they’re heading to a women’s team location. 

“We try and match up with the boys. We might not play one week and then we’ll do in two in a row,” Ms Barber said. 

Training is held most Tuesday and Thursday nights at Varley Oval from 6pm where enquiries from potential new female players are welcome: “Just come along to a training night,” Ms Barber said.