Ellie beats odds to take on Richmond
IT’S the return to play no one saw coming, no one except a motivated 19-year-old from Townsville.
When Ellie Hampson suffered ligament damage to her ankle in training a month ago there were fears her AFLW season was over before it had begun.
Hampson, who had been through ankle injuries before, didn’t give up hope.
The Gold Coast Suns defender underwent a meticulous rehab program and will make her debut this afternoon against the Richmond Tigers.
Head of women’s football for the Suns Fiona Mclarty was amazed by Hampson’s four-week recovery.
“When she first did it we thought she could be out for at least half of the season,” Mclarty said.
“She’s done a fantastic job. She’s been in at the club almost every day for hours and has been doing everything right.
“She’s spent a lot of time with the physio for her treatment and exercises. After she first did it there was a lot of icing and compression.
“She’s also been working with our high performance manager. She’s spent a lot of time doing cardio and been in the gym to make sure she doesn’t lose her fitness.”
Hampson has built herself up to being match ready under the watchful eye of the club’s medical team and the Tigers better be wary of one of the Suns’ first signings.
“She’s missed a bit of training so her minutes will be managed, but she wouldn’t be playing if we didn’t think she was 100 per cent right,” Mclarty said.
“It’s almost a year to the day since we signed her and her birthday was last Saturday. So this is a nice late birthday present.”
The Hermit Park junior said being able to pull on the
Suns’ jersey for the first time had made the intensive rehabilitation worth it. “I’m very excited, I can’t wait to get out there with the girls,” Hampson said.
“I’ve been itching to since I did my ankle … it’s going to be a great feeling.
“We’re stoked with how it’s travelling and really excited to give it a run.”
The work Hampson put in to get her body right impressed coach David Lake so much it left him no choice but to get her back into the fold sooner than expected.
“He said he was really proud with how I’m going and how I’m dealing with it,” Hampson said.
“He’s happy I got out there as soon as I could because he’s seen all the hard work I’ve been putting in.” With the Suns making their AFLW debut in Sydney last week in a one-point loss to the GWS Giants, Hampson said the squad were thrilled to be in familiar surroundings this weekend.
She said her first game would be made even more special with her family travelling from Townsville for the occasion. “It’s going to be a massive thing for the club and all the girls.
“They’ll all be around me and I’ll be around them.
“We’ll have those nerves coming out on our home deck but it will be a great feeling to do it at Metricon.”
The Suns versus game is on at 4.10pm.
Tigers