Fresh off the emotions of earning top billing at the AFLW draft, Montana Ham will juggle her year-12 studies in Melbourne with pre-season training in Sydney.
The gun midfielder could have remained in Victoria but instead nominated for the NSW draft, allowing the Swans to swoop with their prized No.1 pick.
With the upcoming season starting in August, Ham, 18, will have to get stuck into her first AFLW campaign, travelling back and forth across the border, while dealing with the toughest year of school.
"It's been a flood of emotions, but I'm very excited for the future," she said.
"I'm really looking forward to getting to Sydney and meeting my teammates.
"I've got to find the right balance with school and footy, but I'll be heading up to Sydney for three weeks while I'm on school holidays and doing as much training as I can."
Ham was confident she could juggle her competing commitments.
"Throughout the week I'll be at school, and then on the weekends I'll go and train as much with Sydney who have been awesome with their support around me and do everything they can to help me," she said.
"They've got a great list ... I'm really looking forward to getting down there and meeting them."
Ham, who said her mother would stay in Melbourne while she travels, plans to study exercise and sport science at UTS next year but was particularly keen to live by the water in Sydney.
"The water's a big part of who I was growing up, I always went down to the coast for surfing," she said.
"Being able to live 20 minutes from the beach is something I'm really looking forward to.
"It's a bit daunting (to move away) - a new challenge for me but I have a lot of good people around me and a good support network. I'm absolutely thrilled."
