![Daisy George had a great first season with Sydney University. Picture by Michelle Hauschild, My Colour is Red. Daisy George had a great first season with Sydney University. Picture by Michelle Hauschild, My Colour is Red.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ingYyB85ps4jmG9t8mfsHP/a57f4074-84d7-4649-b01e-bb1eda877f9a.jpg/r0_227_3214_2898_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
It didn't take long for Daisy George's AFL talent to be recognised.
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Lobbing up at Sydney Uni training about four weeks before their competition started, the former Tamworth Swans captain expected she'd probably be starting out in the lower grades teams.
But head coach Jon Dyster threw her straight into the premier division team. There she remained for the rest of the season, even earning a Rising Star nomination in Round 11.
The nomination noted George's "consistency and team mindedness" as being "impressive for a young player".
"Originally an onballer Daisy has joined our defence and found a home as a strong one-on-one competitor and a rebounding half-back," Dyster commented.
"Daisy has strong hands, a good read of the game and excellent foot skills, making her a natural for the half back position."
Back in Tamworth for the holidays, it hasn't all been about relaxing for George.
As well as following the training program she has been set so she is ready to jump straight back into pre-season training when she returns to Sydney, she has been back manning the pool deck.
![George has been on duty pool deck as the duty manager for the City and Scully Park pools. Picture by Gareth Gardner George has been on duty pool deck as the duty manager for the City and Scully Park pools. Picture by Gareth Gardner](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ingYyB85ps4jmG9t8mfsHP/79d3757f-954e-43de-b114-4022249f19df.jpg/r0_0_4480_2985_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
George is the duty manager of the City and Scully Park pools. It has been keeping her busy, telling The Leader last week that it feels like there are a lot more people coming through the gates this summer.
Finishing up uni for the year in late November, George remained in Sydney to start the pre-season with the Bombers, returning for Christmas and to help out at the pool over the busy Christmas/January period.
Going into her second year of an exercise and sports science degree, the 19-year-old is loving life in the big smoke.
Studying at Sydney Uni, she is living on campus at Sancta Sophia College, or Sancta as it is known. The college holds a strong family connection with her mum also residing there. Her dad meanwhile was at nearby St John's.
"Sydney life is good, I love how busy it is, and I love the location of where uni is and I really like my course," George said.
Unsure of where she wanted to go and feeling a bit drained with COVID making Year 12 feel like it "just kept going and going", she was initially considering taking a gap year and "having a bit of a break".
"But then I wasn't sure what I wanted to do in the gap year," she said.
"So I was kind of just going in circles of what I did want to do and what I didn't want to do."
"Then obviously I love sport and everything about sport and working with a sports team is something that I look forward to doing."
![George was twice named the Swans' women's best and fairest during her three years at the club. Picture by Ben Jaffrey George was twice named the Swans' women's best and fairest during her three years at the club. Picture by Ben Jaffrey](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ingYyB85ps4jmG9t8mfsHP/2368351c-b5b2-476a-b963-31d15516645e.jpg/r0_0_1017_678_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
She had also had "lots to do" with physios and exercise physiologists over the years, so settled on exercise and sports science, with the idea of getting into maybe physio down the track.
Captaining the Swans since she was only 16 and twice named their best and fairest, George has thrived in the higher level Sydney environment.
"Playing in the prems team, it's good footy," she said.
"Obviously with moving to Sydney it was a very different to Tamworth (the play is "very structured"), but after a few games I got used to it."
"I missed the whole preseason though, which is why I started from the beginning this year, so that I can get the whole experience."
Playing more of a running role than she did with the Swans, she enjoyed that and spoke about hopefully moving into the midfield a bit more next season.
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