The worst year of Bec Beeson's life fundamentally changed her as a person.

There were moments in 2022 where the inaugural GIANT thought she would have to give the game away. Three concussions severely impacted her quality of life, and amongst it all, she was dealing with the sudden loss of her father.

"My dad passed away in December 2021, he had a heart attack," Beeson told AFL.com.au.

"It was two weeks before the season, when we were playing in the old time slot [in summer]. I had to grind out the season, but that year I got injured a lot."

Beeson was coming off a strong 2021 season in which she finished second in the GIANTS' best and fairest count and played every game. 2022 (S6) was a different story. She played the first two rounds before suffering an ankle injury.

That ankle concern kept her out until round eight, where she played just two more games before a concussion struck her down.

It was her second concussion in a short period of time, after copping a head knock in preseason training.

"Recovering from that second concussion took me about two months to feel normal again," she said.

Beeson did the work to get fit again – both physically and mentally – and was back amongst it all for the 2022 (S7) preseason. But disaster struck in an August practice match against Sydney.

"I had my third concussion in seven months a few weeks before the season, so then I missed the entirety of that season," Beeson said.

"It took me nearly three months to fully get my quality of life back… 2022 was an exceptionally challenging year for me because firstly, when you lose your quality of life, every day is a massive struggle.

"And then facing the question, 'can I continue playing?'"

The symptoms Beeson was battling day in, day out, were confronting. Vestibular ear issues were constant, creating dizziness and balance issues. Things like light, screens, and noise would trigger those symptoms, meaning there were few options for distraction.

"There was no escape in any way," Beeson said.

"I couldn't distract myself by watching Netflix or getting out for a walk or whatever. So, I was at home just sitting around, laying around not doing a hell of a lot. A couple of the girls brought me colouring books so I tried to do that, but after a while that would make me sick as well because of the concentration."

It meant falling to a really low point when it came to her mental health. Grieving her father and, potentially, her dream of playing elite footy with no distraction or reprieve. It was a lot to take.

"I 100 per cent hit rock bottom. It felt like I was drowning," Beeson said.

"So many things kept coming at me and I couldn't make my way back up to the surface. It's the first time in my life that I felt pretty helpless and pretty desperate."

Finding a way out was imperative, and the light at the end of the tunnel came by way of concussion specialists and vestibular physiotherapists.

"The club were super supportive. I saw the best concussion specialists in the country. The club flew me down to Melbourne to see a specialist concussion psychologist and vestibular physio based at the Epworth in Hawthorn, and I had multiple sessions with those specialists over a period of 5-6 months," Beeson explained.

"Initially it was just about getting my normal functioning back, but after I was fully healthy again my mindset started to switch to being super determined to make it back to playing footy. When I was struggling with all those symptoms, I couldn’t imagine ever being able to take a hit or being tackled again, my confidence was completely shot."

Her long-term health was the No.1 priority, with the idea of returning the footy only emerging in time.

"Seeing those specialists gave me confidence that I needed that I was actually okay to keep (playing)… it was a pretty long journey back, but I had so much support along the way," Beeson said.

The experienced forced Beeson to grow as a person, and proved to be a turning point in her life.

"When I was a younger player, I was pretty self-absorbed. I'm happy to be frank about that," Beeson admitted.

"My first few years (at the GIANTS), I was definitely more of an individual… but there came a point where I started to realise that I didn't want to be that person anymore."

That awareness came when the GIANTS community rallied around Beeson in that low year. The club became her family, supporting her grieving period, and what she found herself looking forward to was time with teammates, and sessions with club psychologist Paul Penna.

"My mindset changed from 'me, me, me' to really buying in, and really wanting to contribute to the culture and being a part of the team and building really strong relationships with the girls," Beeson said.

"Connection and relationships are the most important thing in life, and that's probably the biggest lesson for me coming out of 2022. I don't think I saw it that way when I was younger."

The reality is, if Beeson hadn't hit that low point, she probably wouldn't be captain today. Voted in by her teammates after long-serving leader Alicia Eva stepped down, Beeson is ready to take the GIANTS into a new era.

"2022, it just changed me completely… challenges really do set you down the path to being the person you are in the present," she said.

"I don't think I'd be valuing the same things that I do now."

Now, Beeson has learned to play without fear. Some early knocks in her return to the field, and coping strategies if her anxiety does start to grow, have given her the confidence to get back to her best, carefree footy.

"I remember something happening, it was (training before) round 10 and I got hit flush with the footy when one of the girls had a shot on goal. A 30, 40 metre kick hit me smack in the head," Beeson recalled.

"It was a Wednesday session, we were playing Saturday, so for those few days I was very nervous. When you go through some horrible times, when you face any injury – particularly concussion – because it has such an effect on your entire life, and an incident happens, you can spiral pretty quickly.

"I've come up with strategies to help me because we knew that there were going to be times where I'd be hitting my head, that's the nature of the game, and I've got to find a way to calm myself down."

With teammates now able to identify when Beeson is getting inside her head, and the midfielder herself willing to communicate such feelings with them, de-escalating her concerns is now possible.

Firmly focused on moving ahead now, as an AFLW captain, and an important part of the GIANTS' community, looking back on challenges helps Beeson remain appreciative for where she is.

"Playing footy is the thing I love most," Beeson said.

"Reflecting on that makes you feel grateful for the position that I'm in at the moment, and that helps me when times are tough."