Footy star on frontline of Melbourne’s coronavirus crisis
Tahni Nestor thought she would be going into battle on the footy field this weekend. Instead she’s fighting on the frontline of Melbourne’s response to the coronavirus.
VIC News
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Tahni Nestor pictured herself playing in an AFLW grand final this weekend. Instead she will be treating patients and dealing with the coronavirus crisis from a hospital emergency department.
North Melbourne defender Nestor was working as a specialist nurse when it was last month announced the women’s competition would be cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Having her premiership dream torn away was “obviously extremely disappointing’’.
But looking around the emergency department floor at The Austin when the news landed, the full time nurse and part time footy trailblazer knew the threat was far more important than sport.
“Work gives me a good perspective,’’ she said.
“This thing at the moment is much bigger than football.’’
A critical care nurse at the Austin for six years, Nestor is used to stress and reckons “footy can be a breath of fresh air’’ from emergency rooms.
But she said the coronavirus pandemic was extremely challenging for frontline medical teams.
“It’s been busy,’’ she said.
“It’s not really like anything we have seen before, or experienced.’’
One of the biggest tests for Nestor and medical teams like hers through Australia, is the ever evolving scenario.
“It’s a bit of a roller coaster at the moment,’’ she said.
“It’s a rapidly changing situation that we are having to adapt to every day.
“We are used to going to work and not knowing what we are going to turn up to but at the moment this is something completely different.
“There is a lot of stress, there is a lot of unknown.’’
If not for coronavirus, Nestor and a legion of female footy stars could have been competing for just the fourth AFLW flag this weekend.
Instead, none will be awarded and an asterisk forever etched next to season 2020.
Not that Nestor has any complaints.
“There is a bigger picture, there is a lot going on in the world today and people in a lot worse off situations than we are at the moment,’’ she said.
“At the end of the day we have got to do all we can to stop the spread of this virus and if that means not playing football then that is exactly what it means.’’
Nestor said it was “kind of a blessing’’ being at work when the AFLW season was called off.
“Because you could see what was happening around us and the change just in our department to cope with what has been happening,’’ she said.
“I suppose it was something that didn’t surprise me but also was fairly disappointing … but I’m fortunate in the fact that I’ve still got my job.
“I’ve got teammates around me, not only did they lose football, but a lot of them have lost their jobs as well.’’
Like a footy team, she said her medical colleagues were supporting each other, as they did
during the season to swap shifts so she could fly interstate for matches or to make it to training after long shifts.
“One of the things I love about football is that you get to play this amazing sport with your friends but it’s similar with working in a hospital environment,’’ she said.
“You’re kind of with teammates.’’
At “a really difficult time’’, she said Aussies needed to remember “we’re all in it together’’ and to look out for each other.
“You can’t be blase about these sort of things and think it won’t affect you,’’ she said.
“This is something that in some way or another is going to affect everyone.
“It’s very important, the social distancing message, and that people really understand what that actually means.
“Stay at home if you don’t need to go out.’’
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