PLAYER empowerment was name of the game for Hawthorn over its off-season period, and the club took lessons from the NFL in how it structured the long layoff.

It is a unique period to navigate in the context of world sport, and with similarities in length between the off-season in the AFLW (nine months from the end of the home and away season) and the NFL (seven months), the Hawks studied how the American league and its teams chose to structure that period, adapting it for their AFLW program.

It meant giving the playing group increased trust and control, and in turn, the hope is that it improves on-field problem solving.

"(It was) a unique way of doing kind of one week on with all the staff being there, and then three weeks – the rest of the month – was player-led, which was really good for the leaders," star midfielder Jasmine Fleming told AFL.com.au.

"(We) kind of planned the sessions at the start, and then we had some second year, third year players actually running the sessions and it helped us feel refreshed, so that now even when we're in preseason, we're not just listening to Daniel (Webster) for the whole year.

"We're able to lock in and hear different voices, and I think it's a big thing for ownership for a lot of our players. We are a youngish group, kind of on the verge of getting older … so, it was really good and a lot of fun. It changed it up; it was different to the last couple of years."

Ostensibly it is the AFLW's mini version of the NFL's training camps, locked in with all staff for a condensed period, then trusted to run their own programs outside of that time.

The program was split into three blocks of one week all-in, then three weeks of player-led sessions, with the leadership opportunities shared around the group. And while it took a moment to get used to for all involved, the club applauded the buy-in from the playing group to make the most of the structure.

Eliza West took to the coaching role like a duck to water, while Fleming was able to tap into her experience coaching the Ashburton Redbacks.

"Eliza West (was best at running sessions), doesn't surprise me either. She's very organised and loves making up drills. Like, she'll even give 'Webby' different things to do, which is really funny," Fleming laughed.

"Definitely her and 'Batesy' (Emily Bates) both led them at the start, and then some of the younger players took them. It was great to see different players and how they like to run things, what they want to work on… Then I was able to run two sessions, which was fun because I did little drills that, because I coach outside of Hawthorn, it was great to trial different things with them and then go back to coaching and see if that worked."

Having been knocked out of finals in straight sets in the last two years, with momentum in games dashing away from the Hawks in those finals, there is a hope among the playing group that these sessions have taught players to arrest that momentum on field, without needing coach intervention.

"I think in both finals series' it was things on field in moments where, particularly (as) leaders, we wanted to stand up better, so that's, I think, a great way of use to do it in a low-stress environment where we're running the sessions, but also getting that trust back," Fleming explained.

There was a sense among the group that last preseason's focus on endurance running and fitness meant their skill level dropped away, which ultimately hurt them throughout the season.

So, these sessions also meant a focus on fundamentals and getting back the skill to complement their running capacity.

And now, while the internal feeling is that the structure was a success, impending match simulations and practice matches will be the club's opportunity to test those improvements against an opposition for the first time.