Sydney FC defender Charlotte McLean blames huge workload and lack of resources on A-League’s ACL epidemic

One of the A-Leagues premier defenders has pinpointed two major issues she believes are to blame for the competition’s horror spate of knee injuries.

Some of the A-Leagues’ women’s best players won’t be on the field this finals series due to horrific knee injuries — Sydney FC defender Charlotte McLean said a lack of resources and an extended season had contributed to the ACL epidemic.

Nine players including Sydney FC’s Natalie Tobin and Kirsty Fenton, fell to ACL injuries this season. Western United’s star striker Hannah Keane will miss the finals series after rupturing her patella tendon last weekend.

McLean, who is fighting to win her fourth straight premiership with Sydney FC this weekend, said while the full home and away season was a win for women’s football more investment was needed.

“It’s something we’ve been fighting for for a really long time,” McLean said.

“In terms of the resources it probably does need to improve.

“I think more funding into recovering, availability – things like that would be good because we’ve seen a lot of really upsetting injuries at the back end of the season.

“We are seeing a really high increase in the number of injuries.

Kirsty Fenton is helped from the field after injuring her knee. Picture: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

“Maybe there is something there that needs to be fixed. I don’t know what it is … but I’d love to see next year maybe better access to recovery resources for all teams.”

While the men also play a full home and away season the huge difference is they are on full-time contracts.

The women’s have a five to six week pre-season and are contracted for just nine months of the year. Meaning niggles, injuries and other issues can often go unchecked or un-monitored once the season wraps up.

McLean said full-time contracts was certainly next on players’ lists of wants.

“The aim would be to get that full time professionalism because I believe we’ll have access to full-time physios and also massage and things like that where I think our bodies might be able to handle the schedule a bit better,” she said.

Hannah Keane is stretchered from the field. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

“I do think we have seen a really high number of injuries this year.

“Whether that is coincidence I don’t know.

“We want to contest with the likes of the WSL and the NWSL – if you look at those leagues they’re full time, we’re not so until we get that full time professionalism, and we don’t have girls working all day and then coming to training and then playing on the weekend, you can’t expect people to be at their best when they are playing under those circumstances.”

RACE TO THE TITLE

Sydney FC will have a second crack at lifting the premiership plate on Sunday – after dropping the ball in their midweek catch up match against Canberra United.

Had the Sky Blues been able to get the win of the struggling Canberra outfit the Sydney FC players would be approaching Sunday’s clash against Melbourne Victory with a very different attitude.

Instead they now sit just one point clear of Melbourne City.

Victory need to win in order to fight back into the top six and keep their finals hopes alive – so it won’t be an easy game.

McLean, who has already won three premierships with Sydney, said a lot of the younger players in the squad had been quite nervous going into the game with Canberra – which Sydney lost 1-0.

Charlotte McLean is challenged by Canberra United’s Vesna Milivojevic. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

“I think the way we play is so aggressive,” McLean said.

“We have such a front foot game and it’s difficult when we have these midweek games to sort of play with that intensity and when we go out I think we get a little bit tired.

“Reflecting on the game we could have maintained better possession, especially in the first half and not trying to go every time and just recycled a little bit more but that is how we play.

“That is why we’ve gotten to where we are. It’s a fine line between maintaining a bit more possession but still being that aggressive and attacking Sydney FC.”

If Sydney FC can keep their composure and claim the title McLean said it would be the biggest premiership of her career.

“We’ve had such a tough year, it’s been the longest season in the history of the league, we flew to Uzbekistan for three weeks and played three extra games,” McLean said.

“It’s been so difficult and it’s been a really tiring season and there’s definitely moments where we all had to take time to reflect.

“If you told me in January we would be where we are now I’d have been like ‘no way’.

“I’m just so proud of what we’ve done and what we’ve achieved.”

Sydney FC will play Melbourne Victory at Leichhardt Oval at 5pm.

Originally published as Sydney FC defender Charlotte McLean blames huge workload and lack of resources on A-League’s ACL epidemic