Inaugural AFLW midfielder Lily Mithen was just 18 years old when her professional football career started. 

Now, almost a decade later, the SUNS midfielder will reach 100 games when Gold Coast takes on St Kilda at People First Stadium this weekend.

Growing up, Mithen always wanted to play football at the highest level, even joking that she wanted to become the first girl to play in the AFL, before the introduction of AFLW in 2017 gave her the chance to live that dream.

“I was so little, 18 years old, walking into a footy club,” Mithen said.

“It's been a massive part of my young adult years and I've grown so much, and so many people have seen so many different versions of me and evolutions of me as a person, as well as a footballer.”

The then 18-year-old took the day off school to attend the inaugural AFLW Draft with her parents. After waiting until Pick 73 to hear her name called, Mithen joined Melbourne.

“We were all just so nervous, not really knowing what was going to come next or how this was going to play out,” Mithen said.

“It was all so new and foreign to everybody.

“We were like, okay, now I guess we're a team. I remember that being a surreal feeling.”

AFLW looked vastly different in 2017, with limited training hours and players balancing football with life outside the game.

“We would start training at maybe six o'clock at night. I wouldn't get home until midnight most nights because I was living in Geelong, so I was commuting up and back,” she said.

“We played in Darwin on a summer's day. It was like 44 degrees in the middle of February. Who scheduled that?”

“So we kind of just did it for the love of it.”

Approaching game 100, Mithen has never put a timeframe on her career.

“I've always said I'll just play for as long as I love it, my body allows me to do it, and I'm good enough to do it,” she said.

“I don't know if I necessarily put a timeframe on it or thought I'd play 10 years.

“I feel like I've just kind of lived in the moment and continued to live the experiences that AFLW has given me, which I'm really blessed and privileged to have lived through.”

Preparing to reach the milestone in SUNS colours, Mithen has some simple advice for her younger self.

“The first thing is, chill out, it's not that deep,” Mithen said.

“Don't be hard on yourself and there's going to be ups and downs. You can't strive for perfection in this sport.

“Nobody is perfect and that's the beauty of our game.”