BACK in January, Chloe Dalton set her sights on a historic double: an AFLW premiership and a second Olympic Gold Medal.
On Sunday 22 March at 3pm, the dream was still a reality.
On Tuesday 24 March, both dreams were over — for now.
In the space of 48 hours, the 2020 AFLW season had been cancelled prematurely while the Tokyo Olympics had been delayed until 2021.
For Dalton, who had spent juggling preparation and training for both codes, her reaction summed it all up for everyone.
“I thought, ‘woah, that’s hectic’,” Dalton told Carlton Media.
“We knew it was coming with AFLW obviously, looking like it was on the edge with the season being called off. It was being able to try and process that news and then the next day, I found out about the Olympics.
“It’s been a crazy few weeks, getting used to what the next 18 months will look like.”
The story has been told a number of times by various Game Changers in recent weeks, who found out the news at home that the season would be postponed hours after a successful semi final.
The way in which she found out the Olympic dream wasn't to be - at least for 12 months - was even less conventional, but it was a sign of the uncertain times we’re living in.
“I got a text from one of my friends who doesn’t even play rugby or anything: she sent me a screenshot of an announcement on Twitter saying the Olympics had been postponed,” she said.
“I was like, ‘oh, excellent’ — it’s a good way to find out the Olympics were cancelled!
“Obviously everything was happening so quickly with the virus… we got official communication come through from the Australian Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee [soon after].”
Having said all of that, Dalton is still dreaming big, and is hopeful that her unique double isn’t off the table: rather, she hopes it’s just been postponed.
She confirmed that, with everything permitting, she wants to achieve ultimate success in the Navy Blue before taking off for the green and gold.
When the announcement was made in January, the big question centred around how she’d juggle both preparations in the quest for dual glory. According to Dalton, she relished it: the football world will agree on the back of her 2020 campaign.
“I’m hoping that we might be able to do the premiership and gold medal in 2021 instead of 2020… it is all up in the air but that’d be the ideal scenario,” she said.
“Fingers crossed it can happen.
“It was a pretty tough few months but I absolutely loved it. It was tricky going between the two: say, for example, with my kicking technique.
“With rugby sevens, I have to practice the drop kick compared to the different techniques for footy. I had alternating days: one day I’d do that kicking technique and then I’d rock up for footy training and have to switch back in my mind to make sure I was doing the right thing.”
It all seemed to be coming together for Dalton, with Carlton seemingly on the verge of a second consecutive Grand Final berth.
Admitting that all other remaining teams would’ve been in a similar boat, she said that she had a feeling the Game Changers could’ve gone all the way in 2020.
“There was a real sense of confidence in what we were doing... I would have loved the chance to get back to another Grand Final and have a crack because I honestly think we could have gone all the way,” she said.
“I loved it — it was a disappointing way to end it, obviously. Being my second season, I felt a lot more comfortable out there, getting more game time and experience.
“It’s such a good group of girls: that was my favourite thing about it.
“It was a pretty weird way for it to end and not really get a chance to say goodbye to people and that kind of thing… I’m missing them all at the moment.
“It’s tricky to plan for 2021 at the moment but I think it’ll be really exciting.”
It’s clear that Dalton’s dream isn’t over: it’s just on hold.
