FREMANTLE flew to Adelaide late last week expecting to be on the road for up to a month, but were pleasantly surprised to return home on Tuesday.
Joining Credit to the Girls, star Dockers midfielder Hayley Miller explained how the situation evolved.
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"It certainly was a very interesting week, starting on Monday when we were told there was the potential we would go into a hub situation. They weren't 100 per cent sure how long it might have been, it was anywhere between two and four weeks," Miller said.
"Last week it was basically sorting out work, and from there, we got to Adelaide, played the Crows and then immediately after the game we were told we'd be going back home [on Tuesday].
"I packed up the million things I'd taken over, brought it home and unpacked it all, which was probably the worst part of all of it," she said with a laugh.
Miller praised the support given by Fremantle, and by extension the AFL, when it came to having tough conversations with employers about the need to suddenly take time off.
The Docker is a physio, and packing up for a potential month on the road meant making arrangements for long-term patients in rehab.
AFLW TEAM OF THE WEEK Round three
She also said having already broached the subject of taking time off would make things easier later in the season, should the situation once again arise.
"They encouraged us to have that initial conversation ourselves with our employers, and I'm very lucky, I have a supportive employer, so they were pretty good with me," Miller said.
"But the club was really supportive if [the employer] had any extra questions or if someone wasn't happy, our wellbeing coordinator helped with those girls and getting them over the line.
"It's an amazing thing to have everyone bar one (Evie Gooch, firefighter) be able to go and be prepared to go for that long."
EPISODE GUIDE
1.00 – Have the Demons and Kangaroos played the best AFLW game yet?
2.45 – The Agenda: What's happening with the bottom-four teams?
5.10 – The concerning Richmond stat
7.58 – The Eagle who needs to find more footy
10.45 – Fremantle midfielder Hayley Miller joins the show
13.27 – What do you pack for a road trip with no specified end-date?
18.02 – The incredible Evie Gooch
22.25 – Tiah Haynes' return to Fremantle
25.30 – Your round three cheat sheet
31.25 – Who fielded the most experienced AFLW side ever?
34.52 – How the Dockers dismantled Adelaide
41.08 – On the socials
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