It could be argued that lightning-quick Tesharna Maher comes from Indigenous footballer royalty.

There is certainly strong Aussie Rules heritage in the clan, as Mum, Bronwyn, played in that first AFL Women’s match for Melbourne against the Western Bulldogs back in 2013 at the MCG, while Dad, Kelvin, played a couple of years of SANFL league football with Glenelg and a star in the Northern Territory.

Uncles Aaron and Alwyn “Froggy” Davey played both SANFL and AFL football, while her cousin Alwyn Junior is currently entering his third season with the Essendon Bombers.

In a major boost to their midfield stocks, Maher is about to begin her first season with the Central District Bulldogs.

Still just 23 years old (she turns 24 in November), she has been secured by…