THE STORY of how Adelaide's two-time All-Australian midfielder Anne Hatchard improved her fitness is well known, but the rapidity of the transformation even surprised her own mum.
Hatchard was a relatively inexperienced footballer when she was drafted by the Crows with pick No.87 in the inaugural NAB AFLW Draft, having primarily played basketball as a kid.
She played seven of eight games in her first season (including the 2017 premiership triumph), but managed just four games the following year, playing as a key defender and undersized ruck.
But by the end of the 2019 season, she was an All-Australian midfielder.
"She worked extremely hard, harder than what I imagine a lot of people could do, once she set her mind to it," Claire Hatchard said.
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"She just didn't give up once she started. It was quite amazing, it seemed to be quite a short time between the old Anne and the new Anne."
Hatchard's self-belief shot through the roof after her arduous off-season, and along with her fitness work, it had a direct impact on her on-field performance.
"After the 2018 season, the challenge I faced was having a few confidence issues. I'd get anxiety going into games because I expected so much of myself," the Crow said.
"I was a bit overweight, I wasn't as fit as I should've been. I loved fast food, hated salad, I'd be going through the drive-throughs on the way to games even.
"I felt like I was letting my teammates down, letting everyone down. I was dropped more games than I played, and it just sucked.
"From there, it kind of clicked that I might not get another contract. That off-season, I went out running a lot more, eating a lot better, and when I came back for the 2019 pre-season, all the girls were like 'who is this?'"
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