This was published 9 years ago
West Coast Eagles' Hayley Miller plays out women's Western Derby with broken leg
By Heather McNeill
A broken leg sustained in the first minutes of Saturday's Western Derby didn't stop one West Coast Eagles women's team player from playing out the game.
Half-back Hayley Miller fractured her fibula during a contest against a Fremantle Docker forward shortly after the first bounce of the women's match at Domain Stadium.
Hayley Miller, centre, played out Saturday's inaugural women's western derby match with a broken leg. Credit: Paul Kane
West Coast Eagles coach Martine Pearman said the 19-year-old and medical staff mistook the break for a corked leg, with Miller playing out the remainder of the game in the forward line and kicking two goals in the final quarter.
The injury is understood to be similar to the broken leg Fremantle Docker player Nat Fyfe sustained during the first quarter of his team's preliminary final loss to Hawthorn in 2015.
Fyfe played the game out and was one of Fremantle's best, despite the serious injury.
Ms Pearman said Miller was clearly in pain after injuring her leg during a clash with a fellow teammate in Saturday's match.
"She was initially in a lot of pain and hobbled off the ground," she said.
"She was assessed and we just through it was a cork...she thought she could push through it and went back on the ground playing in the forward line as she was a bit restricted.
"Your adrenaline's kicking in and you don't always feel the extent of the injury and how much pain is being generated."
Pearman said the ex-beach sprint champion kicked two goals in the final quarter with the broken leg, helping West Coast secure a 13.10.88 to 3.5.23 win in the women's league's first western derby match.
"Ironically [her two goals were from] sprinting out on a lead and jumping up and taking the mark," she said.
"We watched the footage of the game the next morning and we could see the impact was pretty full on and sent her for an x-ray.
"She's a tough cookie and a very dedicated player."