How Western United star Claudia Mihocic regained the courage to tackle again after horrific injury
Claudia Mihocic executed a slide tackle so powerful the impact with the ball shattered her ankle – the pain so great it took her mind longer to heal than her body.
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It happened in a matter of seconds, a slide tackle so powerful Claudia Mihocic shattered her ankle as her boot smashed into the football.
The pain was so great that even long after the surgery Mihocic was left too traumatised to attempt a tackle again.
It was 2022, she was playing for South Melbourne in the NPL during her off-season from A-Leagues side Perth Glory.
“I just went in so hard for a tackle that I put too much force into the ball and the other player’s foot was planted – so the force came back through my leg,” Mihocic said.
“I did the syndesmosis which most people usually do when they land. It was pretty unlucky.”
An ankle reconstruction and subsequent rehab ruled Mihocic out of the 2022/23 season with Glory.
Like any rehab it was physically exhausting. But Mihocic said the hardest part was actually regaining the courage to tackle again.
Tackling was what Mihocic fell in love with when she first started playing football as a youth.
She comes from a family of defenders. The ability to put her body on the line to keep the ball out of her goal is part of her DNA.
“As a defender, as a centre back, one of my strengths is going in really hard for tackles,” Mihocic said.
“It took quite a bit of time to get over.”
And like most things the only way to conquer her fear was to do it again.
So at training Mihocic would break down each step of the tackle, going one step further each time.
“Initially I was pulling out of tackles, then I started to leave my foot in and once I finally made a slide tackle I wasn’t even sure what I had been worried about,” she said.
There were some lingering issues with her achilles and tendons but Mihocic did get back on the field for Perth for the 2023/24 season before returning to Melbourne to play with Western United.
She has cemented herself as a key player in the squad, which now sits fourth on the competition ladder.
Mihocic has a 90 per cent success rate with her tackles – the highest of anyone in her team.
In her first start she had the most clearances (13), most passes (54) and kept a clean sheet.
“There’s no hesitation from me anymore when going into tackles,” Mihocic said.
“I love nothing more than being able to play the same way I always have.”
The 21-year-old hopes her form and injury free run might put her back in the spotlight of national team selectors.
She had her first national team call up when she was 16. Playing in the Young Matildas, alongside Mary Fowler, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Courtney Nevin and Charli Grant.
“It was unreal being able to represent Australia in the youth age groups, it is what every player dreams of, you never think it is going to happen until it does,” Mihocic said.
“The quality of the opponents, the pressure of being in a tournament and results being so important – I learned a lot from that. I was so young and learning from some incredible players and coaches.”
Seeing a number of ALW players earn calls up to the senior side under interim coach Tom Sermanni gives Mihocic extra motivation to keep improving.
“If you are doing well at whatever stage you know someone’s going to be looking, if you are doing well you will be looked at no matter who you are,” she said.
“Hopefully that opportunity comes.”
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