ACL puts St Kilda’s Nadia Von Bertouch out for season but Collingwood’s Brianna Davey cleared of serious injury
The ACL curse has struck the opening round of the AFLW in St Kilda’s clash against Western Bulldogs, but there was positive news for Collingwood recruit Brianna Davey.
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St Kilda forward Nadia Von Bertouch has ruptured her ACL and will miss the rest of the AFL Women’s season.
The 24-year-old suffered the injury in Sunday’s 25-point loss to the Western Bulldogs.
It was better news for Collingwood boom recruit Brianna Davey, who was cleared of serious damage to her leg and remains a chance to face her former Carlton teammates on Sunday.
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It had been feared that Davey — the ex-Carlton captain who ruptured her ACL in 2018 — may have broken her leg in Collingwood’s win over West Coast on Sunday, but scans yesterday revealed only soft-tissue damage.
St Kilda coach Peta Searle said the club was devastated by the news that Von Bertouch would be out for the year.
“The way she played on Sunday was just a glimpse of her tenacity and courage, and how she was able to pick herself up after several heavy knocks was inspiring to the girls,” Searle said.
“Nadia may not be able to take to the field, but her impact in-house is going to be just as prominent as it was before.”
In a blow for North Melbourne, Daria Bannister — who injured her shoulder in Saturday’s loss to Melbourne — will have surgery on Tuesday. But it is hoped she could play in the second half of the season.
Von Bertouch’s ACL injury marks the first serious injury for the Saints in the club’s inaugural AFLW season, with Demons Shae Sloane and Katherine Smith and Crow Chelsea Randall all felled with the injury in the pre-season.
ACL injuries decreased in 2019 compared to the previous season, with the AFL injury report observing that the injury rate had dropped by 18 per cent in season three.
Women are considered almost 10 times more likely to suffer an ACL injury than men due to factors such as biology and structural differences.