Hawthorn has landed another major coup, signing AFLW key position player Rebecca Privitelli to its VFLW list.

Privitelli, who currently plays for the Giants, says it was an easy decision to join the Hawks after speaking with club officials.

“I had a chat with some of the guys there and I was sold pretty quickly, I think it sounds like there’s a really good culture and that the club’s going in a really good direction,” Privitelli said.

After making her debut for the Giants in Round 1, Privitelli says that she’s loving her footy up north, but is excited to return home for the upcoming VFLW season. 

“I love being in Sydney, I’ve really enjoyed playing AFLW here with the Giants,” she said. 

“But Melbourne’s still home, and the VFLW is probably the best seconds competition outside of the AFLW in the country.” 

Read: Hawks committed to building best women's football program in the country

The 23-year-old joins a host of fellow AFLW players, including GWS teammates Phoebe McWilliams and Rebecca Beeson, as part of Hawthorn’s inaugural women’s side and says it’s an opportunity she’s excited to take up. 

“I think one of the most special things of the competition at the moment is that there are so many first times,” she said.

“(To be) part of the first Hawthorn VFLW team I think is special and I’m sure I’ll find that I’ll look back on my career and say it was pretty incredible to be part of something like that.”

After beginning her AFLW career playing five games with Carlton in 2017, Privitelli revealed the seed for joining the Hawks was first sown after talking to current Hawk and former Blues teammate Tahni Nestor.

“All she could say was really positive things about what was going on at the club, the way the club was supporting and treating her and what the future of the club looked like so that’s when it first made me think about the VFLW a little bit to be honest,” she said. 

Renowned for her strong marking ability and excellent use of the ball, Privitelli is set to provide the Hawks with plenty of flexibility after spending time at both ends of the ground. 

“I definitely think my marking and the way I read the ball coming in is one of my strengths,” she said.

“I don’t really like to be locked down to one position, I think particularly in this competition, you’ve got to be as versatile as you can so forward or back I’d be happy either way.”

While the AFLW and VFLW have only been in place since 2017 and 2016 respectively, Privitelli enjoyed a decorated junior career that included representing Victoria at both U16 and U18 level and earning All-Australian honours in 2013. 

“I kind of went through the ranks of playing Auskick to footy with the boys and then playing youth girls and then into women’s footy,” she said.

“So I went through the whole pathway and I was lucky to have that because I know a lot of girls didn’t have that opportunity when they were younger.”