Sally Riley has been busy recruiting her students to support the Suns in the AFLW

She spends her days grading students, but this weekend the spotlight will be on Sally Riley as her students line up to pass judgment on their teacher.

SHE spends her days grading students, but this weekend the spotlight will be on Sally Riley as her students line up to pass judgment on their teacher.

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The Miami State High teacher has been on a recruitment drive this week as she prepares to make her Suns debut following three AFLW seasons playing for the Adelaide Crows.

Gold Coast Suns AFLW player Sally Riley. Picture: GETTY IMAGES

“They have (said they’ll be watching),” Riley said of her pupils.

“They’ve put the pressure on me now so I hope I get a game this weekend.

“I told them ‘if you go for other teams, that’s okay but in the women’s, you have to go for the Suns because I can’t be your teacher and you not barrack for me!’”

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Despite playing 14 games across the past three years, the 29-year-old said the excitement was still palpable.

“It’s a long pre-season and a long time managing work and life around it so you get to this point and personally I know I’m the fittest I’ve ever been thus far and now it’s game time,” she said.

“We’ve played 20 odd games of footy over three years so we still get that buzz running out.”

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 29: Sally Riley kicks during a Gold Coast Suns AFLW training session at Leyshon Park on January 29, 2020 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Riley, who was last week announced as a member of the Suns’ leadership team, said that the playing group was also preparing for selection disappointment amid the excitement as the club prepares to name their inaugural team.

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“It is an elephant in the room but we’ve been really good as a group to be open and talk about that,” she said.

“In my experiences, being in and out of a side before, I’ve drawn on those experiences and spoken to the girls about that so hopefully what I’ve learned can impact them.”

Having already experienced weekly travel for matches with Adelaide, Riley believes she has her travel routine down pat.

“Depends how late Serene is on TikTok so maybe Serene Watson,” Riley said when asked who she’d least like to share a room with in Sydney.

“I played the first season from Darwin so I had quite a long flight every second week but it usually consists of a bit of schoolwork and a bit of marking and planning to get that done while I’m on the plane.”