WHILE most Victorian AFLW players were limited to workouts and coaching over video during the state's lockdown, Shelley Scott had a useful ally nearby.
Melbourne's 2020 best and fairest winner lives on a farm in Gerangamete, about halfway between Colac and Lorne on the state's south-west coast.
It normally takes her two hours to drive to training, but with Melbourne senior coach Mick Stinear living (comparatively) close by in Anglesea, she was able to cut an hour off her usual footy trip.
INS, OUTS, TRADES, DRAFTEES, ROOKIES Every club's complete list for 2021
The pair did touch work and focused on making improvements to the forward's game.
"There are just little things that he picks up on that you wouldn’t see yourself or you might not see running around with another teammate," Scott told melbournefc.com.au.
"It’s definitely made a big difference to some of my fundamentals and it’s been bloody handy being able to have him there."
While the whole state was under a hard lockdown at one point, generally speaking, regional Victorians have enjoyed looser restrictions than Melburnians.
At times, fellow Dee Maddi Gay was also able to join in on sessions with Scott and Stinear.
"It was all around regulations," Scott said.
"We’ve done no contact (work) and adhered to all the rules, but it’s just been honing some fundamentals to try to improve our game.
"It allows us to get a few things out of the way, a few fumbles, but also kind of allows us to start working on some stuff ahead of time which is beneficial."
Like all AFLW clubs, the Demons are now back at Gosch's Paddock, training in small COVID-safe groups on a voluntary basis before pre-season begins in earnest next week.
Shae Sloane and Sarah Lampard, both of whom are recuperating from torn ACLs, were moving freely without any strapping at training on Wednesday night.
Youngster Krstel Petrevski showed some nice foot skills training with a group made up mostly of forwards, although Lily Mithen and Gay were also involved.