AFLW 2024: Melbourne declares Tayla Harris ready to play round 1

Melbourne will delay a major positional move but says Tayla Harris is fit and firing after an eyebrow-raising overseas trip.

Despite an injury-interrupted pre-season and controversial Olympics trip, Tayla Harris has been declared ready to play in Melbourne’s AFLW season opener against Geelong.

But a major move to the backline intended to revitalise her football has been put on hold by coach Mick Stinear, who said Harris has not had time to gel with the other Demons defenders.

Harris, 27, will add much needed experience to a Melbourne side which will blood three debutants in Saturday night’s semi-final rematch against the Cats at GMHBA Stadium.

First-round draft pick Ryleigh Wotherspoon, mature-age midfielder Grace Beasley and bargain GWS recruit Grace Hill have all been named in a revamped side following last year’s disappointing straight-sets finals exit.

Harris, who underwent shoulder surgery last December, missed Melbourne’s first pre-season game against Carlton for a brief trip to Paris during the Olympics.

Melbourne star Tayla Harris caused a stir when she revealed on Instagram she had travelled to Paris for the Olympics weeks out from the start of the AFLW season.

The four-time All-Australian picked up a minor quad strain upon her return to training and missed the subsequent game against Port Adelaide, but was passed fit earlier this week.

“Yeah she’s fit and available, and she’ll play this week. It’s just a minor quad niggle (after the shoulder issues) but she’s still done a big body of work,” Stinear said.

“I guess with shoulders, you can do a lot of kicking work, and she has put a lot of time into her fundamentals.

“We’re happy with where she’s at – she looks calm and in control on the field, and we’re looking for her to have a big impact on Friday night.”

Harris only kicked 3.6 from eight games last season – her lowest scoreboard output in eight seasons – as she managed her shoulder issue and spent time in the ruck to become more involved in the game.

The Demons had planned to shift the strong overhead mark to centre-half back, but Stinear said she would start forward against the Cats.

“We probably haven’t had a lot of time to gel as a defensive unit with Tayla down back,” he said.

Melbourne coach Mick Stinear (right) says Harris will start the season as a forward but could play at either end of the ground. Picture: Daniel Pockett / Getty Images

“There’s a balance to be had with trying to stop the Cats from scoring but give ourselves any opportunity to score.

“I think you can expect to see her at both ends of the ground, but potentially starting forward this week.”

Against a star-studded Geelong midfield led by Nina Morrison and Georgie Prespakis, Melbourne will need to replace the grunt of departed on-baller Eliza West and injured star Olivia Purcell (cheekbone).

Stinear backed Beasley, 24, to have an instant impact in a midfield role after spending six years playing basketball in the US college system.

“(Beasley) has an enormous amount of strength and power, and just plays with great instinct,” he said.

“We just want her to hunt the footy. We’ve got to be careful to not load her up with too much information, and just lose her ability not to play.”

Originally published as AFLW 2024: Melbourne declares Tayla Harris ready to play round 1