The opportunity to pull on the red, white and blue for the first time on Sunday against Fremantle will be a surreal moment for dual sportswoman Aisling Utri.

“It’s really building. We’ve all been waiting for this the whole pre-season – all of the girls from last season and all of the new ones that have come in,” Utri told westernbulldogs.com.au on the eve of the 2018 AFLW season.

“It’ll be nerve-wracking waiting to get a game but I think everyone’s really excited.

“It’s a home game, we’re hoping to get a big crowd.

“Grovesy says the word ‘excited’ and I can’t think of anything else to describe it.”

Utri arrived at the club as a Rookie in August but was quickly elevated to the senior list in September.

With 12 list changes ahead over the off-season, Utri said the knowledge gained from the practice match against Carlton a fortnight ago will hold them in good stead.

“We didn’t end up getting the win but we had a lot of really good play and we got a lot out of it to take into Round one and further on,” said Utri.

“We learnt a lot about ourselves and about Carlton. The vibe was really good and that’s the most important thing. We took a lot out of it.”

19-year-old Utri held a Victorian Institute of Sport scholarship for Hockey. She has previously played football for Melbourne University’s Youth Girls team and said the transition couldn’t have been better.

“The atmosphere is awesome. The girls have been so welcoming. It’s been a really good transition, I’m loving it.”

“From hockey we’ve been told to never give up, to just keep working.”

Utri said the coach had offered some timely advice ahead of Sunday’s match.

“(He said to) just really trust in our preparation. We’ve had a really solid block of training before Christmas and coming into now.

“We’ve got to really trust our preparation, trust the process and enjoy ourselves.

“He understands it’s a big moment and a home game – it’s about everyone going out there and giving it a crack.”