Carlton's Mimi Hill on the AFLW's ACL glut

Last year, six games into her AFLW career, Carlton's Mimi Hill lunged tenaciously into a tackle, and felt her knee jar horribly.

«I knew as soon as I did it, as soon as I went down; I've done my ACL,» the 19-year-old told The W with Sharni and Sam podcast.

«No-one expects it to happen to them … sadly, it happens too often.»

This AFLW season has seen a glut of ACL injuries, 11 of them so far; 11 players who are starting to limp down the same road to recovery Hill now has in her rear-view mirror.

Hill says she was well supported by her club during that process, but she knows other players who have sought — and even paid for — external care during their rehab.

Hill's rehab started almost immediately after her injury.

«Because I did mine near the end of the season, in one way it was good because I didn't get as much FOMO [fear of missing out] by not playing,» she says.

«But, then again, the season ends, and everyone goes off and does their own thing.

After yet another ACL injury in the A-League Women, what is Australian football doing to fix the problem?

»But you're an athlete that still needs to be rehabbed, still needs all the support to get back to your best."

Prompt surgery was key to Hill getting off to a good start.

«I was fortunate to get surgery pretty quickly,» she says.

«Whereas it was horrible to see the athletes this season, with all the COVID protocols, they couldn't get surgery for a little while.

»The next season comes around so quickly … they're going to miss quite a bit of footy, which I'd be pretty flat about."

The injury list was still a pretty lonely place to be.

«I was kind of just doing rehab by myself, which is pretty lonely,» she says.

«It was pretty dark over the winter period, and we were also in lockdown.»

Hill