Eloise Jones is a footy nut.

Lives it, breathes it, loves it.

But a torn Achilles pushed her love for the game to the absolute limit, to the point she nearly hated coming into the Adelaide club she adores so much.

Jones suffered a full rupture of her Achilles tendon in round three last year, coincidentally against the same Hawthorn side which she kicked 2.2 against last weekend.

And given fellow key forward Caitlin Gould broke her wrist on Sunday, Jones' importance to Adelaide has now increased tenfold.

It was a tough journey back to the top.

"I had 13, 14 weeks in a moonboot, crutches (as well) for a few weeks, I had a little scooter for a fair while, too," Jones said.

"It was a very long time to be in a boot. It was my driving foot side, and I lost my independence. My parents were in Europe on holiday, so I was lucky my partner (Erin) was here, she was fantastic for me.

"I was in two minds. Footy had caused me so much pain and frustration that I didn't want to come back and be involved (for the rest of the season), but on the other side, I missed everyone. I missed the routine, I missed the team, I missed the coaches, and ultimately, I decided that I could sit here and mope around for 14 weeks, or I could accept reality for what it is and try to squeeze whatever I can out of it.

"My escape is the footy club, but my downfall was also the footy club (the injury). The prelim in Brissie was the hardest moment. I remember sitting in the hotel before the game, thinking to myself, 'If they win this, they're in a Grand Final, and you're not going to play, and that's a reality you have to accept. So how can you help them get there?'"

Jones made a conscious decision to not put a timeline on recovery milestones, wary of the lows that could come if she didn't quite manage to make a return to running or jumping or dodging by the prescribed date.

Her only recovery goal was to be ready by round one of this year – a milestone she made comfortably, also playing practice games – and the Crows medical staff already had some experience rehabbing Achilles injuries, working with Harry Schoenberg in 2023.

"From then on, I decided I wanted to be present at pretty much every session I could be. Girls were driving me to training, taking me home, Kat (Gill, list manager) and staff were doing the same thing," Jones said.

"I was really fortunate the club wrapped their arms around me and I felt really supported. They gave me jobs and roles to do, and I still felt involved. I was really thankful, and it did a lot for my mental health as well.

"I had to learn to be patient, and to be kind to myself. You go from knowing what you can do, and what your body's capable of doing, to something that's very different.

"There were definitely stages where I doubted where I was at, or if things were supposed to happen in this way, but I spoke to Harry a few times, and he was really nice, and reassured me that he had experienced similar things.

"They say it can take 18 months to fully feel back to yourself after tearing your Achilles. I know my rehab will continue for a fair while, but at the end of the day, if I'm still able to add value to this team, then ultimately that's all that matters to me. If I'm not as quick as I was last year, then I'll just have to find a different way."

Life on the knee scooter "wasn't as fast as expected", with her quads and hamstrings copping an unexpected workout.

Being immobile, Jones had six months off her casual job selling running shoes, meaning she also lost her escape away from football, and the inability to drive hit hard.

"The girls would take turns pushing me in the airport – I'd end up sitting on it and they'd push me around. Everyone else enjoyed the scooter, but when you have to live with it, it's not as fun," she said.

"It was just silly things like I was missing, like being able to go food shopping. Just the thought of being able to drive down and buy myself something small, you'd think, 'I wish I could do that'.

"By the time I strengthened my calf enough once it was out of the moonboot, it was about 17 weeks without driving. I think I went to get an ice cream. Dad came out and stood on the road next to my car and asked if I remembered how to drive, and if I felt safe driving."

Jones worked closely with forward line coach Jack Magden during the back end of last season, and also spent time observing in the coaches' box.

She sat in on a variety of line chats, instead of just focusing on the forwards, and still attended her leadership group meetings.

"There aren't many players who get to be in that kind of environment, and it was really eye opening. It's a different way of seeing the game, and getting to hear the conversation around it," Jones said.

"I'd sit on the bench as well, and explain to the girls what I was seeing. As elite athletes, we're often the hardest on ourselves. We critique everything, we know what we've done wrong, and we often don't focus on what we've done really well. 

"So I thought I'd pick out the good things that every player does and try and remind them of the value of what they bring to this team. I think it worked really well, and obviously when you give praise to someone, it makes you feel good as well."