‘We’ve got this, Nini’
GEELONG is preparing to rally around Nina Morrison after it was confirmed she ruptured her right anterior cruciate ligament for the second time in two seasons.
The young gun went down in the third quarter of Geelong’s loss to North Melbourne on Friday night after wrenching her knee.
Her teammates, notably captain and dual knee reconstruction victim Melissa Hickey, were visibly distressed as Morrison was stretchered from the field. It was the same knee she injured last year at training.
The incident led to the Cats falling out of the match, crumbling to a 46-point loss.
Scans on Saturday showed the ACL graft in her knee had been ruptured. Plans for surgery will be confirmed in coming days.
Cats AFLW list manager Ben Waller said everyone was “really feeling” for the 19-yearold.
“The outpouring of support from Geelong fans and the Geelong community and even other AFLW clubs shows how highly she is regarded in the competition as a player and a person,” Waller said.
“It was a really tough night, but everyone is obviously just trying to support her as much as possible.”
Hickey paid emotional tribute to Morrison on social media.
“There are some teammates you get the pleasure of playing with,” Hickey wrote.
“There are some that break the mould, a rare kind that few get to have, the teammate that is athletically gifted, has elite skills, cares deeply for others, displays selfless leadership and inspires those around her to be a better footballer.
“Nina Morrison is one of these teammates.
I am so blessed to call her a teammate and a friend. We’ve got this
Nini, with you every step of the way brother.”
Post-match North Melbourne coach Scott Gowans said even he was affected in the coaches box as Morrison was taken from the field during the match.
“She’s a great player. I coached Nina in the under-18 Vic Country (team) and things like that in sport remind you just how lucky you are to get through healthy,” Gowans said. “Things like that seem to happen to good people and I was a bit sad myself at the time.”
Cats coach Paul Hood said it would take a few days for the players and staff to get over the incident and turn their attention to Saturday’s match against Greater Western Sydney.
“We will wrap our arms around Nina and wrap our arms around her family and do our very best to help her come back bigger and better than ever,” Hood said.
Six AFLW-listed Cats put their hands up for selection after a successful hitout for Geelong’s VFLW squad against North Melbourne on Saturday morning.
Bec Goring, Madisen Maguire, Maddie Boyd, Rene Caris, Georgia Clarke and Nicole Garner all got through the practice match unscathed.