The Western Bulldogs have secured basketballer Tessa Boyd as their first rookie signing for the 2019 AFL Women’s season.

Playing for the Nunawading Spectres in the SEABL Women’s competition, the 20-year-old arrived at the Club after participating in this year’s VFL trials where she was recognised for her speed, agility and competitive edge.

Tessa is the sister of Western Bulldogs key forward Tom Boyd.

Boyd told westernbulldogs.com.au that she is looking forward to kickstarting her football journey at VU Whitten Oval.

“It’s pretty new to me, so I’m very excited to get going in November,” she said.

“I have a lot to learn, but I am excited to be joining such a great group of players at the Bulldogs.”

With her football opportunities limited throughout secondary school, Boyd invested her time into basketball, where she gained valuable skills that have complemented her natural football ability.

“I tried out for a few (football) teams a few years ago but every team I tried out for ended up folding, so I took that as a sign to stick with basketball,” she said.

Western Bulldogs AFLW List Manager Michael Sandry said that Boyd immediately stood out at the Club’s VFLW trials earlier this year.

“Unfortunately, due to university and basketball commitments, Tessa couldn’t play VFL with us this year, however we kept in contact with the hope of signing her to our AFL list, which we are really excited to do,” he said.

“Tess has a strong appetite for the contest and is really competitive, she has a really natural kicking action and we believe she will be able to adapt to multiple roles.”

In the absence of an AFLW rookie draft this season, clubs are instead able to sign up to two players who have not played football in three years (prior to May 1 this year) or have not been involved in a high-performance AFLW program.

The rookie signing period closes on September 28.

The NAB AFL Women's Draft will be held on October 23 at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne