MELBOURNE spearhead Tayla Harris has addressed her surprise trip to the Olympic Games in Paris, having returned to Australia three weeks before round one.

Harris said her pre-season shoulder concern – an oft-injured joint for the 27-year-old – had been recuperated before she left the country. 

She has subsequently suffered a minor quad injury, which held her out of last weekend's practice match, but is confident she'll be right for round one.

"Recently I spent less than a week in Paris, which was a quick trip for sure, but it was an opportunity I couldn't turn down with Nike. I was part of an athlete think tank, which was a group of athletes from all over the world, in different parts of their career – current players, retired players, coaches – and the magnitude of people, to be in the room, I was in awe to be honest," Harris told AFL.com.au.

"But to have the ability to have a general conversation, on the bus, on the way to whatever event we were going to, was where I found real value. For me, this opportunity was one I wanted to take because I felt these people that I'm going to be able to connect with, are high-level athletes who have been at the absolute top of their game. 

"If I can have a conversation and get a few little tips from them, bring it back to our playing group, then all of a sudden that trip is valuable to not just me, but our entire group and program. That's why I felt OK to ask to go. 

"It was something that was in the works months before, and the club was completely across and encouraging. It was just one of those things I'll remember for the rest of my life. Our cohort of athletes will then provide feedback on Nike on how they can better serve female athletes, which is a global thing, as opposed to little old Australia and Melbourne. 

"But to be able to be there as an AFLW player and represent Melbourne Football Club, all of a sudden I'm having conversations about my teammates with Serena Williams. I'm telling Serena Williams about Kate Hore, this is what I'm excited about the opportunity, because it's something I can take and really run with. I've got a notepad full of little quotes I heard along the way."

Melbourne's program had been granted a pre-planned weekend off, meaning Harris missed one training session – given the limited hours of women's football programs, it's not uncommon for AFLW players to complete solo sessions. Western Bulldogs skipper De Berry and Port Adelaide captain Janelle Cuthbertson did so the day following the official AFLW captain's day.

Harris completed her own training session on the home ground of French rugby union side Racing 92, in and amongst networking with sporting stars like English soccer captain Leah Williamson, rising American college basketballer JuJu Watkins, basketball great Sue Bird and American soccer player Carson Pickett.

But back home, Harris' trip – so close to the start of the season – raised eyebrows among the football public and pundits.

"First of all, I didn't even see the criticism, all I saw were people being really supportive and understanding – I was the only Australian there, I was representing Australia," Harris said.

"It wasn't just representing Melbourne or the AFL, it was Australia. People who wanted to have an issue with the details, it's kind of like step back and know this is bigger than me. To be fair, I was over there living it up, I wasn't really worried about what people had to say. It was something I've learnt so much from, and no one can take that away from me.

"We did things like an innovation session where we had the Nike sportswear team present to us about new bras, and how they can be better for athletes, elite athletes versus everyday athletes, and things like that, and we gave our feedback there. Those sorts of moments where I knew it was the right decision to be over there, because I'm impacting beyond just local, it's going to help you when you're going on your run."

But what of the impact of two long-haul flights in the space of a week? The taxing trip can knock a regular Joe around, let alone an elite athlete who is reliant on their body operating in peak condition.

Having landed the day before, Harris was ruled out of Melbourne's match simulation against Carlton, and then missed the practice match loss to Port Adelaide with her quad concern.

"Things were organised very well. When I say that, I mean I was able to sleep on the plane. I had a sleep scientist give me a schedule for exactly when I needed to sleep, and I had no jetlag whatsoever," she said.

"And that's the trick to travelling, is to get someone to tell you how to do it, because it works. Rolled right in and trained straight away and felt completely fine.

"[The quad] was just one of those things where do we risk something that's just awareness for, in this instance, a practice game, when round one is just around the corner. The decision was no, because it was risk versus reward."

When Harris takes to the field in the coming weeks, we're likely to see the spearhead line up in defence, after the departures of Libby Birch (North Melbourne), Maddi Gay (Essendon) and Charlotte Wilson (Gold Coast).

"It was something that [coach] Mick [Stinear] suggested, and I didn't think twice. For me, it's exciting, because it's a new role to learn and all of a sudden, I'm more versatile," Harris said.

"It's definitely been a learning thing, and I'm enjoying spending time with our defenders, who happen to be a hilarious bunch of people, we've got Maeve Chaplin and Gabby Colvin, some funny people down there. On-field, I'm excited to showcase some skills. I actually love field kicking, so that's going to be a fair part of the role, being able to showcase another part of my game that I work on away from the weekend. 

"The mindset of being a forward versus being a defender is the shift. In saying that, I think I've got an advantage because I know what my direct opponent is ideally wanting – whether that's the space in front of them or if they want to push me before leading, all sorts of those tiny nuances that I think I have an understanding of. 

"Obviously each player is different, and I'll take it that way, but I think I can add that. I'll share it with our group when we do reviews, we might wonder why she might be in this position or want to start here, and make way and create space, I can add a bit of context to that."