The first time Eliza West was called upon to captain for Hawthorn, the coin they flipped ahead of the game was an unusual one, which did not help with her nerves.

"They were explaining that this side of the coin was heads and this was tails, and I had no idea," West told ABC Sport.

She had been called to step up after star and captain, Emily Bates, was a late withdrawal due to calf tightness against Collingwood late in the season.

"When they flipped it, we didn't even know it was heads or tails," she said.

"They're like, 'OK, you won', and I'm like, 'OK, well, then I'll just go that way'".

West pointed behind her and laughed.

"It was a bit nerve-wracking, but it was fine," she said.

The moment was emblematic of a lot of her career, where she has had to stay calm and nimble amid chan

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