Champion Brisbane Lions player Sam Virgo returns after a year from hell
One of the biggest stars of the inaugural AFLW season, Sam Virgo was hit with a setback that would force her to consider giving it all away.
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Sam Virgo was one of the breakout stars of the inaugural AFLW season.
The 2017 All Australian greatly impressed at the Brisbane Lions with her consistency, energy, fearlessness and leadership.
But, just five months after that historic first season, Virgo was hit with the biggest setback of her career when she ruptured her ACL while playing for Yeronga-South Brisbane in the QWAFL grand final.
This meant she watched from the sidelines in 2018 as her beloved Lions once again dominated the AFLW and played in their second consecutive grand final.
It was one of the toughest years of her life, but on Sunday Virgo will put it all behind her when she returns to the field with Brisbane for their 2019 season-opener.
SUNDAY AUGUST 27, 2017 – THE PERFECT STORM
Virgo can still clearly remember the moment she tore the ACL in her right knee.
Yeronga-South Brisbane had the lead in the dying minutes of their grand final showdown against Coorparoo and Virgo had been instrumental in that performance.
As the clock ticked down, the defender raced after the ball – and then she felt a pain like she had never felt before.
“I just went to change direction and I got a big hit from behind as well. It was the perfect storm,” she said.
“There was excruciating pain … The agony was mental and emotional as much as it was physical at the time because I knew I had done something pretty serious. When the siren went and we won, it was just a bit numb.
“It was difficult to celebrate when I knew I was going to be out for a year. It was a really bizarre feeling.”
THE ROLLERCOASTER RIDE
The ACL injury was confirmed two days after the match and Virgo was forced to face reality.
For the first month she managed well and maintained a positive attitude.
But then, like most athletes who deal with a long-term injury, it became much harder to accept.
The 31-year-old is not the type of person who can just sit still but she had no option as she recovered.
“I’ve had a pretty good life. I’ve never had any major setbacks that stopped me from doing what I wanted to do,” she said.
“The reality of the situation sunk in about six weeks in. I had difficulty moving and doing things for myself.
“I knew what I was missing out on. Having played that (first AFLW) season, that was a highlight of my life.
“To play that season, be involved with the team, just the whole journey from start to finish … That formed part of the devastation, having to watch and not contribute.”
THE PROSPECT OF RETIREMENT
One of the toughest parts for Virgo was not just being housebound or missing the second season of AFLW, but not knowing whether she would get back on the field.
ACL injuries are notoriously hard to return from and given she turns 32 later this month (FEB), Virgo was worried about how her body would react.
“That’s something you have to consider,” she said of the possibility of never playing again.
“Twelve months is the average for ACLs but it can also take nine months or two years. It depends on your own journey and what you’re capable of doing.
“It was definitely an option to never play again, to not be able to recover. But I’m really, really grateful that I’ve been able to come back relatively hiccup free.”
FINDING THE POSITIVES
While Virgo certainly had her moments of doubt and her times of darkness, she eventually found hope again.
She found it through herself, her family, her friends, her partner Jenna and the arrival of her first child, daughter Harriet.
She was also strongly supported by the Brisbane Lions.
“The best piece of advice that I had was to know the difficult times were coming and you will get through them,” she said.
“You have to just ride it out. You have to wait until the darkness passes.
“I was pretty confident I would be alright eventually if I just stuck to what I could do and stuck to the process.”
One saving grace for Virgo was also her appointment as the Lions’ team manager.
It was an idea from women’s CEO Bree Brock and it worked well for Virgo, who aspires to one day be a coach.
This gave her something else to focus on but also kept her around her Brisbane teammates throughout the 2018 season.
“(Bree) was the architect of that one and I am forever grateful to her for putting me in that position where I could still contribute off-field and apply my skills to the team in that role,” she said.
“(Coaching) is definitely something I’d like to pursue post-footy. I do really enjoy it and that was a good opportunity.
“It was a year of upskilling really. I was able to do a lot of personal development as well as professional development.”
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 3, 2019
As much as she enjoyed her role last year, nothing mattered more to Virgo in her career than getting back on the field with her Lions teammates.
She will do that today when they open their 2019 season against the GWS Giants at Moreton Bay Sports Complex.
When asked about her goals for the year, Virgo says it is as simple as playing Round 1.
The rest will follow from there.
“It’s the end of a journey this week,” she said.
“I’m finally able to close that door and open another one to the place I want to be which is competing and playing my role for the team.
“I just want to tick off Round 1. That’s as far ahead as I’m looking. I’ve found it’s really important to be in the moment and not look too far ahead because you get lost in all the things that are going on.
“My goal is to contribute for the team, make the opposition know that I’m there and to make their life hell.”
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