“I'm very nervous but I'm also really excited and grateful to have this opportunity with my career path,” Gregor said.
Gregor described herself as an excited kid who took up a variety of sports as an outlet for her excess energy.
“At 14 or 15 years old, I had to choose one to really hone in on and put work into and it was always going to be footy,” she said.
Around the same time, Gregor linked up with the Bendigo Pioneers, competing against girls several years her senior.
“When I started playing Pioneers, I was 14 in an under-19s competition,” she said.
“When I started playing that I (thought) if I can really get some work in the next three or four years this could be something that I could really do something with in my life.”
The versatile 181cm tall, who played juniors with Echuca and is now registered with Moama Football Netball Club, has made impressive progress in her draft year after being waylaid in 2023.
A back injury forced Gregor to miss her entire bottom-age season, going about 18 months without playing a game.
“It was a very difficult time, but I just had to trust the process,” she said,
“I knew that I had another year left to prove that I could potentially be drafted.”
Gregor has made the most of her draft year, named co-captain of the Pioneers and missing only a single game with illness in 2024.
Averaging 14.7 disposals, 4.3 marks and 4.8 tackles, she was named joint runner-up best-and-fairest for the Coates Talent League outfit.
Gregor also joined Vic Country at the under-18 National Championships, playing in all three games and averaging 12 disposals, 2.7 marks and 2.3 tackles.
She rounded out the season suiting up for Carlton in the VFLW.
Key to Gregor’s value to an AFLW club is her ability to operate in both the forward and defensive lines as either a centre-half forward or back.
“I can’t decide between them, which (position) I like better, but I’ve been told I look a little bit better as a defender,” she said.
“I think most clubs are in need of a versatile player that can go either end.
“There’s lots of clubs that are in need of a tall forward, but (there’s) not really any clear indication.
“All the clubs are pretty keen on me being a versatile player.”
Anything can happen on draft night, but Gregor’s efforts this year earned her a place on AFL talent ambassador Kevin Sheehan’s top 30 draft prospects this week, indicating she may be targeted in the first couple of rounds.
Sheehan described Gregor as “very strong in one-on-one contests” and a “mobile player who is an excellent decision-maker and neat kick”.
Gregor said whichever club drafted her would be getting a determined, aggressive and passionate player as she steps into what could be a defining moment of her footballing journey.
“I’m really proud of everything I’ve achieved this year, especially coming off not playing, so I’m really happy with the year that I’ve had,” she said.
The AFLW draft begins at 7pm on Monday, December 16.
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