DESPITE a history of serious and long-term injuries, Sydney superstar Chloe Molloy says her current ACL rehabilitation has been her most difficult.
After winning the AFLW Rising Star award and Collingwood’s best and fairest in 2018, Molloy sat out the 2019 season with a Lisfranc (foot) injury.
The 26-year-old Sydney co-captain kicked two goals in round one last year, playing a key role in the Swans defeating Collingwood by 15 points, before rupturing her right ACL at training later that week.
“I think every injury fell at a different time for me, so I’ve had major foot surgery, major back surgery, and now major knee surgery. Things come in threes, they say,” Molloy told the AFLW social media channels.
“But the hardest for me, I think, with the timing of it and when it happened and how long, is probably my knee at the moment. Only because I had to watch and on the sidelines for so long, I only got to play one game and I felt I’d really shifted my mindset and invested a lot into being a full-time footballer.
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“It was really taken away from me very quickly. Then just having to watch my team, my best mate’s team and my partner’s team play was hard, because you just want to be out there playing football. It’s part of my identity.
“I think the timing and how long and tedious the knee injury is, is probably proving to be the biggest challenge right now for me, because it’s testing my patience. But I think each injury has really defined me in terms of perspective and equipping me with resilience I didn’t know I needed.”
The lengthy rehabilitation has forced the very independent Molloy to somewhat lower her guard, and accept that it’s OK to not be able to do everything yourself.
“If I could give any advice – which I was a bit stubborn (about) at times – it’s to allow people to help you,” Molloy said.
“I remember if I started slow in the mornings, I’d probably have a bad day.
“So I had plenty of people asking to help me, and I made sure I needed to lean into that and let them help me.”
Having been drafted before the second AFLW season, Molloy has lived through the development of the competition, and is anticipating another step up in standard when she returns to the field this year.
“I think the game’s in a really good spot, and we’ve got some pure footballers coming through who have never had to put the football down, and I’m excited to see how they can impact the W league, and to go up against them and see how the game has grown over 10 years.”
