Premiership forward Harris had season-ending shoulder surgery after she was injured in Melbourne's season opener against Geelong.
She was then on the verge of a move to Hawthorn, a fourth AFLW club, before a trade fell through resulting in her signing a one-year deal with Melbourne who ultimately missed the finals last season.
Harris, 27, said she didn't need to talk about her failed trade attempt with her teammates and was able to handle the uncertainty around her future at the time.
"You get into house renovations and put all your energy into that during that period of time. That was my strategy," she said.
"But my teammates and I love each other, so we all just were mates either way, whatever the result was and at the end of our careers we still will be.
So yeah, I feel like it wasn't really a big deal. It was just play on, if you will.
"In AFLW, obviously, we've got such a big off-season and at the end of the season everyone packs up and goes away for Christmas. So I was up in Brisbane with my family.
"I think everyone's aware of the way landscape of footy is ... Everyone gets it, and it's just the way the cookie crumbles."
Harris was confident she had put in the work after two shoulder reconstructions to ensure when she got out on the field with Melbourne, she stayed out there.
"I've just been working away in my own time," she said.
"Rehab isn't overly exciting I would have thought, but when you do it well, it can create a really good comeback story.
"So that's my plan. I have to just work on being strong and you need good shoulders to play good footy.
"So now I'm reinforced and ready to rock and roll."
