EIGHTY phone calls and three weeks' worth of tears later, Lily Mithen started to get excited.

But once everyone who needed to know did know, Mithen was ready for the next chapter of a new footballing adventure at Gold Coast.

A new look at footy and the lifestyle to match was the only thing that could draw the inaugural Melbourne player away from her football home of the last nine years. But the time spent considering the move left Mithen feeling like she was living a double life.

Just one of four original Demons left at the club in 2024, Mithen had not sought a trade away from the red and blue, the team with whom she won a flag in 2022, but when the offer arose, she had to consider it.

During considerations, she couldn't share her feelings with too many people, instead having to weigh up the options on her own.

"There's never been any reason for me to want to leave Melbourne… I adore that football club, and always will, and will forever consider myself a Melbourne person," Mithen told AFL.com.au.

"When the opportunity flew across the table, it was the lifestyle that pricked up my ears. I was confused as to why I was excited by that, because I've never seen myself leaving Melbourne, but I guess that excitement was something that was pulling me in a direction.

"I did keep coming back to (the fact that) I have been doing the same thing for a long period of time, and a fresh start and a change in environment might just really reinvigorate my love for footy and what I love about the game."

After being taken with pick No.73 in the inaugural Telstra AFLW Draft, Mithen played 82 games for the Demons – the most of any player in the red and blue to date. So much of her life has been poured into the club across the course of her 20s that once the decision was made to move on, letting people know felt like break up after break up.

The first three calls on the list were to head coach Mick Stinear, list manager Todd Patterson, and captain – and best friend – Kate Hore.

"It was truly heartbreaking. It was a break up where there was still so much love, you didn't want it to end, but then you sort of knew it was good for everyone but you didn't really want to do it," Mithen explained.

"I feel like that was harder because there was still that love and respect that was drawing us together, and made that decision really hard. So, when I had to make all the phone calls, it was to Mick, and then to Todd, and then to Kate, and then I had to have a breather because I couldn't shed another tear."

All up, Mithen made around 80 calls to people within the club, repeating the same emotional words, but feeling that people needed to be told individually. It was harrowing, but the right thing to do, and it allowed the 27-year-old to then feel excited about the new opportunity facing her.

"The tears went on for over three weeks, but once I got over the break up it was then just a real level of excitement to embark on a new chapter. But yeah, the calls really got me," Mithen said.

Originally from Victoria's surf coast, the appeal of becoming a "full Goldie girl" has Mithen hooked, moving north with her camper van in tow.

"One of those decisions is choosing lifestyle and choosing a change of environment, and I think if I was to not fully lean in and commit to what that new lifestyle has to offer up here, I don't think I'd be doing myself and the opportunity at hand justice," Mithen said.

"Everyone's known I wanted to get a van, and I posted the van sometime in December and Todd Patterson straight away texted my manager being like 'Oh, looks like Lil's made a decision', and I called him, I was like 'Todd, you know I've always wanted this'.

"I have wanted this for 10 years, but now the van looks great up here, and very fitting."

Part of that Gold Coast lifestyle that Mithen is still getting used to, however, is the early mornings. 4:30am runs are on the menu, led by freshly appointed head coach Rhyce Shaw.

"We went for a run at 4:30am. It's something new I'm going to have to get used to living on the Gold Coast, everyone does things early," Mithen said.

"When 'Shawy' says we're going for a run at 4:30am, you say 'Yes sir'… he's already having a significant impact in trying to get the group together, and he believes so much in work ethic and that hard things are done together."

Mithen is ready to do the hard work, and is enthusiastic at the idea of digging in with a host of new teammates – and reuniting with others like Claudia Whitfort, Charlotte Wilson, and Maddy Brancatisano who all spent some time at Melbourne before heading north.

"Given Rhyce's beliefs on how teams should perform, it is going to be a lot of hard work, and I think he's got the right leadership style that will have girls wanting to work hard for him, and I'm excited to see how that will elevate the performance of the team, and I'm excited to be someone who's working just as hard as everyone else and getting it done together," Mithen said.

"Looking at the list, looking at how many young guns they've got, how many good players they've got, and seeing that they've got all the talent in the room, and how can that be maximised?

"Hopefully with a bit of experience that I can bring, we can really bring out the best of everyone in that group. Yes, they've been slightly inconsistent, but as an opposition player I've always admired the way that they've played… and then the appointment of Rhyce Shaw, that is something that I'm so excited about.”