It was one of those moments that made your stomach churn.

A desperate lunge from Carlton’s Jess Hosking across the kicking leg of St Kilda’s Tarni White, then a deafening clap that stunned the crowd into eerie silence.

The sound of the impact shocked me in a way I’d not experienced in 20 years of watching football – it felt like a slap in the face: sudden, unexpected and raw.

The diving smother saw White’s legs caught underneath, before that almighty sound as she somersaulted up and crashed back down.

Immediately, everyone feared the worst; the fact the Coorparoo product recently recovered from a serious ACL injury only added to the potential heartbreak.

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An expletive muttered under my breath expressed the crowd’s collective shock.

But before anyone could digest the brutal hit, the 18-year-old Queenslander sprang to her feet, before taking part in the next contest.

White went on to be one of St Kilda’s best players in the club’s first hit-out, showcasing her proficiency across half-back.

Senior coach Peta Searle praised the youngster’s gutsy heroics, particularly in light of her recent injury setbacks.

“We heard the noise up in the box and had our hearts in our mouths,” Searle told saints.com.au.

READ: Saints' first hit-out shows promising signs

“But Tarni, she’s a ripper. She’s courageous, she’s tough, she’s mentally really strong and physically strong as well.

“To have that resilience and mental strength about her at her age is really impressive.

She’s going to be really important to us, not just this year but over the next ten years.

- Peta Searle

But post-match, a light-hearted White was less philosophical.

“It was a great hit,” she laughed.

“I probably should have kicked it a bit earlier and I wouldn’t have been, you know … doing a forward flip over her.

“But it didn’t actually hurt at all, I had so much adrenaline pumping through that I just got back up and went ‘oh, that didn’t hurt’.”

To the cheery, no-nonsense Queenslander, it’s all part of the job – and part of the thrill.

While a hit that big would shake most players to their core, White’s enthusiasm and passion for the contest meant it had the opposite effect.

“I love that side of it – as long as it’s fair and legal, I’m all for it!”

The young Saint trains the way she plays: aggressive, physical, uncompromising.

And less than two weeks out from the Saints’ historic inaugural AFLW clash at RSEA Park, one thing is certain.

You know what you’re going to get from Tarni White.