A shoulder injury may have ruled Tiah Haynes out of the second half of last season, but there is nothing holding her back leading into 2018.

Haynes underwent surgery after dislocating her shoulder in the AFLW round three game against the Giants in Sydney last year but the 24-year-old is now fully recovered.

“I was able to play for the Costal Titans late last year, so my shoulder wont hamper me this season, I am excited and ready to go,” Haynes said.

Although Haynes said her time in rehab was a long and draining experience, the defender saw the silver lining in being able to work along side Kiara Bowers. 

“I would have definitely preferred to be on the track but all the girls got behind me and I had plenty of support,” Haynes said.

“Turbo was going through rehab for her knee at the same time, so she was the main one who supported me.

“She was a massive part of my rehab program.” 

With AFLW action less than a month away the girls will head off to Darwin to test themselves against Adelaide in a practice match on Saturday 20 January.

“Everyone is pretty excited and pumped to get it all started” Haynes said.

“There’s a lot of new girls pushing us to get better as they push for spots so it’s a really good environment. 

“We are all really focussed and prepared to dig deep and fight as much as we can to get the results we want.”