ELLIE McKenzie is a self-proclaimed footy head, so spending 2023 on the sidelines was a snag in the plan.

After the former No.1 draft pick played the majority of Richmond's round one win over Brisbane last September, she came from the field in some discomfort.

The ankle injury she suffered was initially given a return timeline of two to four weeks, but that never shifted, and McKenzie ultimately spent the remainder of the season watching from the stands.

"I was being told, could be a week, could be two, could be four. It was very up in the air," McKenzie told AFL.com.au.

"We didn't really know how it was going to settle, and then obviously I didn't end up playing the rest of the season."

The injury itself was a small fracture in her fibula, but that was only discovered after two weeks of attempted rehabilitation.

It is not the first injury challenge McKenzie has faced in her short career to date. She missed the opening four rounds of season six in 2022 following surgery to remove an extra muscle in her calf.

"I've had an unlucky run, haven't I?" McKenzie said.

"I think it's sort of built my resilience, going into my ankle injury after having that weird calf one that I had. So I sort of knew how to manage myself."

McKenzie stayed involved in the program, helping her growing contingent of teammates going through rehab. Injuries have marred the club as a whole for the past 12 months, with the AFLW side forced to use train-on players in games late in the season, and the men's program being hit equally as hard.

Not even AFLW head coach Ryan Ferguson was spared.

"I think he broke the outside of his foot or something, had surgery, in the moonboot, on crutches. Hopefully he can take all the injuries for us this year and we'll be fine on the field," McKenzie laughed.

The club's injury crisis contributed to the Tigers' down season last year, but McKenzie also acknowledges that it wasn't the only factor.

"We're all very disappointed with how our year panned out, and a lot of that was out of our control," she said.

"But in a few games there, like the Freo game, the Gold Coast game, we probably didn't go into (those) with the right mindset, and we lost both of those games. So in that sense, we're pretty disappointed, but I think everyone's really bloodthirsty to go now. We're really excited."

Some time spent in the USA over the off-season was a chance for McKenzie to reset, while also celebrating captain Katie Brennan's wedding.

"I was lucky enough to go for our skipper Katie Brennan's wedding. Quite a few of us girls went over, about 10 of us I think, which was really cool. Went down to Palm Springs, got a bit of a tan," McKenzie said.

"It was really good to get away and have a bit of a distraction, especially since my injury and rehab going on. It's nice to be just so separated from footy for that period of time."

When around the club, or even just in Melbourne, McKenzie is drawn to footy. It doesn't matter what stage the season is in, even men's pre-season footy is enticing for the midfielder. But that little bit of separation was an important refresher.

"It's such a big part of my life, I like to have it kind of constant and always in the background," McKenzie said.

"But it is nice to get away, get out of the country and have a few weeks just hanging out with your mates and stuff. So that's good. But I definitely love my football."

McKenzie's long-awaited return to the field will no doubt come with some nerves.

"Pushing it aside and knowing that my body is really strong at the moment, and probably the fittest I've been in a long time," McKenzie said.

"I think trying to focus on that, give some positive energy out."