It was Round Eight, Adelaide has just beaten Fremantle by nine points in a hard-fought battle in Perth.

Crows midfielder Anne Hatchard had starred in the win, amassing a game-high 31 disposals but she was in tears.

As her teammates smiled and chatted to each other in the changerooms, relieved with the result, Hatchard sat with a doctor.

Players and staff soon hopped onto the bus to return to the airport, but Hatchard winced in pain as she was carried on and helped into her seat.

Unbeknown to anyone outside the Crows’ four walls, Hatchard had been struggling all season with plantar fasciitis -  inflammation of a thick band of tissue that runs across the bottom of each foot and connects the heel bone to the toes.

Speaking exclusively to AFC Media after signing a two-year contract extension with the Club, Hatchard said her foot had been giving her trouble since the start of Season Six.

“Pretty much from the start it was lingering and I struggled to run,” Hatchard said.

“I think from Round Three I started getting local anesthetic in my foot before every game to try and ease the pain.

“During the week I would be off legs - no running - just trying to do everything I could for the foot.”

The inflammation worsened after the win against Fremantle and the 24-year-old also had severe blisters on her foot.

“That was getting a bit better and then in the game against Freo the taping for my foot started to give me a blister so at half-time,” Hatchard said.

“They (Club doctors) put a bit of local into that and that blister got very inflamed and caused a lot of pain.

“That then caused issues leading into finals and it was quite tough just to get through week-to-week.

“After the Fremantle game, the amount of pain I was in, it was just ridiculous and I didn’t think I’d be right for the next week.”

Despite her physical struggles, Hatchard managed to “power through” and starred in the two-point victory against Collingwood in Round Nine, collecting  23 touches.

She then went on to feature in the final minor round - an away game against St Kilda - and then got the week off she so desperately needed before the finals kicked off.

“I did all the right things and luckily I got the all clear to play (after the Fremantle game) but at that point in time I really didn’t think I’d be right to play the next few weeks.

“I just had to power through and it was a good feeling to be able to get through, play every game and to then come away with a Grand Final win.

“I just listened to the doctors, the physios and did all the right things I needed to do because I just wanted to be there for my team and help our team get to the end.”

Hatchard said she also had to overcome mental battles in Season Seven and credited her partner Georgie, as well as her teammates, for getting her through.

“It definitely did frustrate me but I just wanted to do everything I could to fight through that pain and play,” Hatchard said

“I had a lot of support from my partner, Georgie, she got me through the weeks, and of course my teammates.

“After games, I could hardly walk the next day, but she was by my side, helping me through.

“It was a big mental battle as well, trying to get up each week.”

Despite the challenges, Hatchard enjoyed a stellar season which included a second-place finish in the AFLW Best and Fairest, a third Premiership, a best-on-ground medal in the Grand Final and a second Club Champion award win.

After a campaign that produced so many accolades, Hatchard received countless offers from rival clubs, all eager to secure the star on-baller.

But she deflected the big offers and instead, this week, signed a two-year contract extension with the Crows.

And she reveals her motivation for doing so.

“Looking back, I am proud of the way we got through and I got to play in a Grand Final with some of my favourite people in the world,” Hatchard said.

“We’ve created such a good bond as a team.

“We’ve got full trust in each other, we have each other’s backs and we are like a big family - we just want to work together to reach the end goal, which is a Premiership.

“This Club has supported me since day one.

“I wasn't the best player back in the day but they saw some talent and they kept believing in me and giving me another chance, especially after the first two seasons where I was struggling with form, healthy lifestyle and standards.

“They kept me there and had belief and I have grown so much as a person here and I just love the culture here.

“It would’ve been extremely hard for me to leave this group.

“I absolutely love it here, I feel at home here and I just love the girls.”

As for the foot, Hatchard says it is “feeling great” and she cannot wait to get stuck into pre-season, which officially kicks off for Adelaide later this month, before Season Seven in August.

“I can’t wait to see where this group will go over the next few years and I’m so excited for the next season to start,” Hatchard said.