AS the countdown begins to the third AFL Women’s draft, Carlton’s highflying forward Tayla Harris says it blows her mind how far the competition has evolved in the space of two years.

Harris, who has been playing football since she was five years old, is a foundation player of the league, having played one year at the Lions before making her way to the Blues. 

When the AFL announced it was introducing a women’s league three years before its initial timeline, it was met by enthusiasm and excitement by all involved – especially those who had been playing and coaching the game.

“It’s amazing, I can’t believe it’s happened so soon,” Harris told Macquarie Sports Radio on Tuesday.

“I think when this all began a couple of years ago, 2020 was the date, so to think it’s not even 2020 yet and this is what it is now – it just blows my mind.

“I’m looking forward to what’s next and I’ve enjoyed what’s already happened, so it’s a great rollercoaster to be on.”

Harris has already achieved great heights in the competition, receiving consecutive All Australian honours and taking Mark of the Year against the Pies in the Round 1 season opener at Ikon Park earlier this year.

As Geelong and North Melbourne prepare to join the league in 2019, the competition continues to grow. This expansion and growth in the game raises discussions around player wages, a topic Harris says will take care of itself in time.

“I think we need to look at it a bit broader and I think that it’s amazing this (AFLW) has happened so soon,” she said.

“If you compare it (AFLW) to the soccer – although I don’t like comparing sports – if you compare the 10 years soccer has been around, and the two years AFLW has been here, just the way that it’s taken off has been amazing.

“As players, we can’t ask for more than what we’ve got - this is amazing and beyond what I thought would happen.”

The 22-year-old sees the growth of AFLW as good for all women’s sport and believes it is a great time to be a female athlete. 

“Hopefully it will have a positive impact on other sports like soccer, netball and basketball and increase engagement for them as well, so we do have to appreciate what happened and what’s happening in AFLW," Harris said.

Carlton’s VFLW team takes on Casey this Saturday morning at Casey Fields, with all the action kicking off at 10:30am.