West Coast midfielder Elijah Hewett struggled to walk during battle with rare foot injury

Elijah Hewett could barely walk and feared for the rest of his AFL career during the lowest point of his battle with a rare and debilitating foot injury. He opens up on how he fought through.

Elijah Hewett could barely walk and feared for the rest of his AFL career during the worst of his battle with a rare and debilitating foot injury.

Battling sesamoiditis, a condition seen commonly in dancers, Hewett’s foot had gotten progressively worse since his draft year.

Hewett initially flew to Melbourne in January to consult with Australian Ballet’s principal physiotherapist Dr Sue Mayes.

But when he didn’t respond to treatment, Hewett was forced to turn to a last-resort sesamoidectomy, a procedure that removes the sesamoid bone.

“The whole pre-season leading into round one was devastating for me,” Hewett told this masthead. “I hadn’t done one session during pre-season and I hadn’t had surgery at that point so all the boys were like ‘What’s going on? You’re 12 weeks behind.’

Elijah Hewett feared for his career during the nadir of his foot injury. Picture: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

“I was in so much pain. No doctor had a clue what was going on.

“I genuinely thought I’d be compromised for the rest of my career. I thought I’d have pain for the rest of my life.

“Mini (McQualter) showed a video before I returned in round one this year, a video of me walking and I literally couldn’t. I was wincing and walking on the outside of my foot, trying to avoid pain.

“It was such a tough period for me. The resilience you build in times like that is all part of it. That was the lowest point I’ve been through.

“You find a way to get through it. It’s the job I signed up for.”

Hewett spent the entire season in rehab following a minor bone stress setback in his foot.

By the time pre-season started up again in November, he was like a new recruit.

As the Eagles continue to languish at the bottom of the ladder, Hewett has emerged as one of West Coast’s great white hopes.

Packing power and confidence, the 21-year-old has played 12 games this season and is currently the club’s best clearance player.

“It’s great to get back and play with my teammates,” Hewett said. “I felt helpless last year on the bench.

“The surgery has changed my life. I’ve been battling pain for three years and it just got worse and worse. Now I’m playing injury-free and loving my football.

“It feels like my second year of football. I don’t count the third. I’m still learning and growing and getting to know my teammates.”

Elijah Hewett has been a big improver for the Eagles this season. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images.

His form in the last month in particular, finishing with 17 touches and a goal against Carlton, has gone a long way towards justifying West Coast’s decision to split pick two back in 2022 to draft Ginbey and Hewett.

“He can do some special things that you generally can’t teach kids to do,” West Coast stoppage coach and premiership player Luke Shuey told SEN earlier this season. “He has some natural talent that allows him to break the game open in certain ways.

“When he rounds out his game and he can string performances together consistently he is going to be a special player.”

Hewett set tongues wagging on the eve of the 2024 season when he declared that he, Harley Reid and Reuben Ginbey could be what Chris Judd, Ben Cousins and Daniel Kerr were to the Eagles in the club’s heyday.

While Ginbey’s move into defence means that Hewett’s prophecy won’t be fulfilled as originally intended, he still has immense faith in the future of West Coast’s midfield.

“We’re super confident in where we’re going,” he said. “Harls is really starting to find his feet and his form right now. He’s had a great few games.

“We’ve got young guys like Hutch (Jack Hutchinson) and (Ryan) Maric on the wing. Hally (Clay Hall) can also come in and play really well.

“Then chuck in the experience of Fridge (Jack Graham) and Brady Hough who’s come to us from the backline, we’re really excited. We’re learning how each other plays and what makes us tick.

“We all desire success. We’re all sick of losing. We’re working really hard behind the scenes. Performance is a delayed indicator of hard work so we’re hoping to see some return on investment.”