Richmond midfielder Issy Bacon is preparing herself to play a different role in season 2025, as she looks to take her game to the next level.

The 20-year-old, who has played 11 games in the yellow and black since her debut last year, has been training as a defensive midfielder for most of the AFLW pre-season.

It's given Bacon a new lease on her footballing life, as she looks to cement a place in a side that is chocked full of talent and hunger.

"The team is feeling well, we're connecting. It's been a hard couple of weeks and a hard couple of sessions, but it's been been a good training block," Bacon told Richmond Media.

"The pressure is up, drills are up and there's a lot of match simulation with our train-ons as well. It's been a huge lot of fun."

On a personal note, Bacon has been receiving extra coaching to increase her midfield minutes and impact.

"I've seen a huge improvement. I've started training in the midfield. I'm getting coached by Hammer (Shaun Hampson) as our mids coach and Tam (Luke) as our stoppage coach," she said.

"I'm learning heaps. Getting to play alongside the likes of Mon Conti and Ellie McKenzie is huge.

"I'm transitioning into a defensive midfielder role, so a lot of tagging this year."

And Bacon knows she'll have to continue to push, with selection pressure up, as a plethora of injured stars prepare to return this season.

Importantly, key forward Shelby Knoll is preparing for her first game in over 1,015 days, as she returns from her ACL injury. Alongside her is Katelyn Cox and Montana McKinnon, who are also recovering from their long term ACL setbacks.

"It's so important to have them back," Bacon said.

"Monty and Coxy are getting back to nearly full training, it's huge. They bring massive energy to training and we love them."

What lies ahead is intense, but it's nothing Bacon and the side haven't faced before.

"We have a double peak coming up soon, so putting five weeks of our pre-season training into one, that's huge. We're looking forward to that," she said.