HOW DO you play footy when you can't move your fingers?

Unbeknownst to the wider football world, Anne Hatchard has been playing with rheumatoid arthritis for over six years, and has been battling numerous "flare-ups" over that period. 

Incredibly, Hatchard has won three best and fairests and three All-Australian berths in that time.

But the arthritis (in part) contributed to last year's dip in form, with the former Adelaide star and new Gold Coast recruit also openly acknowledging in an interview with AFL.com.au that her fitness was not where it should have been in 2025.

A chronic autoimmune disease, arthritis causes inflammation in the lining of the joints. Medicine can help, as can targeted training to build up muscle, reducing dependency on the joint in question. 

"I think it was about six years ago, I was having some issues with my joints – more so my fingers, I'd wake up some days, and I couldn't actually make fists. Especially through the cold, I'd get lots of flare-ups. There'd be days I couldn't walk, couldn't move, couldn't get warmed up at all," Hatchard told AFL.com.au.

"I didn't really understand what I was diagnosed with, and I didn't really think about it too much. But as the years went on, it was like 'This is something young people don't usually have'. It was kind of a weird thing for me, and something I wouldn't really talk about too much, just 'my joints are sore'. 

"It was so interesting to learn more about it and things that might trigger it – seasonal changes really trigger it, and sometimes stress can trigger different flare-ups as well, because it's an [autoimmune] arthritis. Just trying to stay stress-free can be hard as a mum, moving states, but I feel like I need to do what I can to minimise it, for my footy.

"It affects [football] quite a bit, especially when I do get a flare-up. There are times I feel I can't catch the ball, it's painful to catch the ball, my joints are just so achy. I feel like I can't recover properly. 

"There's been sometimes through the season where I just have to suck it up and deal with it. It's just an unfortunate thing I've got to work through, but as the years have gone on, I've just tried to manage it as well as I can, and I feel like this move to the heat should help somewhat.

"It's something I've really worked through, and had to try different things, but since moving to the Gold Coast, I've felt my body has been flowing a lot better. The heat really does help, and I think the change of scenery has helped my body a bit. Hopefully we'll have less flare-ups, less issues, but it's been something that's been giving me some struggles through the years."

The arthritis was one of a number of factors that contributed to an inconsistent final season at Adelaide for Hatchard.

Over the years, Hatchard has been honest about her fitness and quest for improvement, and talking about 2025 was no exception.

"No, definitely not (at my fittest). A bit of a mix of things, my body wasn't where it should have been at, I probably wasn't as happy at football than I should have been, and mentally, I knew I wasn't at my fittest, and it was something that did get to me," Hatchard said.

"This change has been amazing for challenging myself again, and finding that determination and fun again. I'm definitely building back to where I feel more comfortable, and where I feel like I may be able to play my best footy again.

"I still had two years (on my contract). I probably got into a space where I just was going through the motions a bit. Footy wasn't as fun for me, anymore. 

"It was something I spoke through with (wife) Georgie through the year, I'd come home and she could see that I wasn't myself, but with two years left, I didn't think it was something that could happen. Just one conversation with my manager, not long before trade, and it turned into this opportunity for me. It's been a whirlwind, to say the least."

The upcoming season is likely to be somewhat of a bounceback year for Hatchard, given she's now having fewer flare-ups, and her fitness is right back where it should be, finishing first in Gold Coast's pre-season run.

"I'll say Lucy (Single) wasn't there the day we did it, she's the fitness and strength queen. It was a different test, that we haven't done before. I did a little bit of research on it before we actually turned up – some of the girls probably didn't flow through it as well as I did," she said.

"It was a 30:15 interval test, with changes of direction in it. It starts off at 8km/hr, so it's so slow, then it builds by 0.5 every 30 seconds, so you're doing more change of direction, quicker speed and it gets you real quick. It's tough. It ended up being like a 20-minute test, it felt like it went forever.

"I was quite happy with myself to be honest, to find that strength within, and I literally got to the point where I couldn't go any more, and I collapsed to the ground. When you get older, you can push your body more, it's a lot (more) mentally."