People often ask me what a ‘typical’ day looks like as an AFLW player and physiotherapist. The truth is, no two days are ever exactly the same.

Between being a player at the Western Bulldogs AFLW and working as a physiotherapist at Port Melbourne Physiotherapy and Pilates, the weeks are busy, structured, and always changing. A typical week for me looks something like this:

Monday: Football – 2pm to 7pm
Tuesday: Football – 10am to 6pm
Wednesday: Physiotherapy – 8am to 2pm
Thursday: Football – 10am to 6pm
Friday: Physiotherapy – 8am to 2pm
Saturday: Football – 7am to 1pm

On a usual week, Mondays focus on resistance training in the gym, light football skills, match or training vision review, and player meetings.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are our main football training days. Therefore, this is where we get the bulk of our hard work done.

Saturdays are usually reserved for running-based sessions and an additional gym session.

A Day in the Life: Main Training Day (Tuesday & Thursday)

I like to start my mornings with a routine. Win the morning, win the day is a motto I try to live by. This is because when I stick to my routine, the magic tends to follow.

One of my favourite ways to start the day is by walking my fur baby, Olive. Olive is my very energetic and slightly crazy two-year-old Kelpie who keeps me on my toes! We’ll usually head out for a walk while listening to music or a podcast and, of course, getting the first caffeine hit of the day.

On main training days, I make sure I have a balanced and filling breakfast. This includes something like poached eggs on sourdough. Nutrition is one of the most important aspects of wellbeing and performance!

Once well fed, I head to Whitten Oval for the day. Usually our schedule looks like this:

10:00am – Arrival & Preparation

This time allows players to arrive and prepare for training. This might include completing mobility work, stretching, getting ankles taped, or catching up with a coach for individual feedback.

11:00am – Team or Line Meeting

These meetings usually run for around 45 minutes. They include a preview of the day’s training, review game plan and structures, or vision from the previous week with plenty of learning opportunities.

12:00pm – Individual Preparation

Players are spread throughout the facility during this time. As a result some players work on skills, while some receive treatment from the physiotherapists, and others grab a last-minute coffee before training.

12:30pm – Physical Preparation

Led by our strength and conditioning staff, this session includes mobility, stretching, activation exercises, and a wide variety of injury prevention work.

1:00pm–3:00pm – On Track

After physical preparation, the team head out onto the ground. Training always begins with a thorough warm-up of around 20 minutes. Following on with skills and drills that progressively build in intensity and size. Many of these drills reflect the key learnings discussed earlier in the team meeting.

3:00pm – FOOD!

Refuelling time. The dietitian organises post-training meals, which is vital given that nutrition is one of the biggest pillars of recovery.

3:30pm–5:30pm – Gym & Treatment Blocks

The group is split in two again. One group heads into the gym for resistance and strength training, while the other completes scheduled treatments with the physiotherapists and massage therapists.

5:30pm onwards – Self-Led Recovery

The team are very lucky at Whitten Oval to have world-class recovery facilities, including a spa, ice baths (SO cold!!), pool, and sauna. Players are given autonomy to recover in ways that best suit their bodies. As a result, my go-to is alternating between the sauna and ice bath for around 30 minutes.

6:00pm – Dinner

Another important role of our dietitian is organising dinner. Therefore, after training, the team usually head upstairs to the kitchen area and share a meal together before heading home around 7pm.

9:00pm – Bed

After a full day of training, sleep is non-negotiable. Therefore I always aim for an early night, especially when I’m up early for physiotherapy work the next morning.

• Ellie