Eastern Devils defender Meg Hutchins joins good friend Brooke Fox in the 200-game club

EASTERN Devils defender Meg Hutchins last week became just the second player to reach game No. 200 for the VFL Women’s club.

Eastern Devils defender Meg Hutchins. Picture: Steve Tanner

MEG Hutchins recalls a time when there was just four or five people at Eastern Devils training.

Fast-forward 15 years and its not unusual to see 50 or 60 footballers on the training track at Mulgrave Reserve.

“You just had to make do and get the most out of the session, even though there was only four or five of you there,” Hutchins recalled.

“It was frustrating times not having many numbers and there were certain games where we could only field the bare minimum of 14 players.”

Hutchins last week became just the second Eastern Devils player to reach game No. 200, joining good friend and former housemate Brooke Fox as the only players to reach the milestone.

Congrats to @hutchy_25 on the great achievement of playing 200 games. Congrats also to Steph Carroll on 50 games
Falcs defeat Devils 44-32 pic.twitter.com/CS27Rr8h5r

— Eastern Devils (@DevilsFootball) May 13, 2017

Result didnt go our way, but proud of the girls. Thankyou everyone for the messages & well wishes for my 200th. So much ❤️- Devil for life pic.twitter.com/2pqmBdhcfl

— Meg Hutchins (@hutchy_25) May 14, 2017

“I’m really happy to share that with her and we can have our own little place to sit in the 200 club,” she said.

“Maybe we can get everyone to serve us dinner.”

Given the early years when there was just 10 or 12 game seasons, it has been a fair slog for the 35-year-old.

Hutchins played junior football until the rules no longer allowed her, instead running the water for University Blues.

The key defender first arrived at the Devils after receiving an email from Lou Wotton in 2003 asking for supporters to “cheer the Devils on for their round 1 game”.

“I wasn’t available to do that but that was my first piece of knowledge that there was a women’s league,” she said.

“I said I couldn’t come but I would love to come to training next week, I did so and I played Round 2.”

Meg Hutchins on the burst for Collingwood. Photo: Stuart Walmsley

Hutchins hasn’t looked back since.

Among her accolades include a Helen Lambert medal as the VWFL best and fairest and multiple All Australian honours before she joined Collingwood as a priority pick for this year’s inaugural AFLW season.

From barely having enough numbers to put one team on the park of a weekend 15 years ago, the Devils this year are fielding three sides for the first time.

“The competitiveness and change in the body shapes of the top level players now has dramatically changed as well,” Hutchins said.

“If you could kick a ball and mark a ball well you’d pretty much get a game every day of the week but you need to have more artillery now.”