At a glance:

• Bianca Jakobsson is back at the elite level after sitting out Season 2020 to complete her Police Academy training.
• The 27-year-old and is now balancing her two career professions after joining St Kilda in this year's Trade Period and graduating from the Police Academy in May.
• Jakobsson is one of eight new faces to join the Saints' playing squad heading into Season 2021.

Rewind to the start of this year, and Bianca Jakobsson had doubts as to whether she’d ever take to the football field again.

The former Demon made the tough decision to step away from the game in early 2020 in order to complete her Police Academy training.  There was the very real chance that hanging up the boots would be permanent.

It was a career pathway she had earmarked for quite some time, and one whose demands – especially before Academy graduation – would make it near-impossible to simultaneously juggle her AFLW commitments.

But Jakobsson – now a fully-fledged officer since graduating from the Academy in May – has the Sherrin back in hand at St Kilda.

“I feel very lucky to be playing, obviously with everything that’s going on with coronavirus, but also after having the 2020 season off,” Jakobsson told saints.com.au.

“Sitting back and watching is pretty hard. I’m a pretty competitive person so it wasn’t great on the sidelines, but I’m just really rapt to be a part of footy again.

“It kind of is like riding a bike. I’ve sort of hit the track and it’s almost as if I haven’t left.”

The versatile defender’s football career was reignited in October after joining the St Kilda as part of a three-way trade involving Melbourne and North Melbourne.

“Amazing rostering” from Victoria Police to fit her shifts on duty around her football commitments has been a major driver in getting Jakobsson back in the game, along with the Saints’ support to follow her career choice.

The 27-year-old previously put her hopes of joining the Police Force to the side in 2016, withdrawing her initial application after the inaugural AFLW season was confirmed for the following year.

In the years between her two bids, Jakobsson played for Carlton and Melbourne in the AFLW, held a career as a signwriter and carpenter and commenced her Bachelor of Exercise Sports Science at Deakin University.

Victoria Police’s heavy recruitment drive last year ultimately nudged her into following the pathway she’d put on the backburner almost five years prior.

“I was chasing one dream and then sort of stepping back on another,” Jakobsson said.

“I feel in a really good position to have both and I’m still working and fulfilling footy now, so I’m really grateful to be able to do both and have a club that’s really supportive with my career.

“Don’t get me wrong, it has its challenges. You’re exhausted after a day at work and then you go to footy, but you rock up to training and you’re with the group at the Saints.

'BJ' is one of eight new faces at St Kilda heading into Season 2021, but isn’t a stranger around RSEA Park.

Tilly Lucas-Rodd, Ali Brown, Kate Shierlaw and Nat Exon (all former Carlton teammates), Cat Phillips, Claudia Whitfort (both Melbourne) and partner Darcy Guttridge have helped the defender slot seamlessly into the Saints’ squad.

“I’m happy that we’re teammates and not rivals now,” Jakobsson said about Guttridge.

“I’m really competitive so I think Darcy’s probably happier because I’m not the one that’s being a sore loser or anything like that.

“But there’s definitely as huge buzz in the air and I think for all the girls there’s that sense of gratitude. We all just feel really grateful to be playing footy and doing what we love.

“Flashback three months ago and we didn’t really know I we’d get a season when we were sitting at 700 cases a day to now being at full training and back to contact sessions.

“Even just to get back to the gym with the girls is great, you almost get that sense of normality back and it’s just really good to have that sense of mateship around the club.”