Hawthorn has provided an injury update ahead of the 2026 AFLW season beginning this Sunday.
The Hawks begin their campaign next Thursday 13 August at IKON Park, and Hawthorn High Performance Manager Aaron Kellett has shared an update ahead of the season opener.
Maya Dear (Leg) – 3-5 weeks
“Maya is returning from some bone stress of her tibia. Has resumed running and is beginning to work through the final stages of her return to play. We anticipate Maya will be available for selection somewhere near Round 3 at this stage.”
Elli Symonds (Foot) - TBC
“Elli underwent surgery at the end of last season to repair a recurrence of a previous stress injury to her navicular bone in her foot. The location of this injury is high risk, so we have taken a steady and progressive approach to her reloading given the history. Whilst we have yet to set a target date, based on current trajectory we expect Elli to be available near the halfway mark of the AFLW season.”
Grace Baba (Ankle) - TBC
“Grace had an awkward landing incident in our official practice match against Sydney two weeks ago. Whilst she was able to return to the field in the second half, scans during the week revealed that she had sustained a high-grade ankle sprain. We have been working through the various options for Grace's return to play and will update with more information once a timeline has been set.”
Matilda Van Berkel (Foot) – Season/TBC
“Matilda presented with some foot soreness, which upon further investigation revealed a fracture to the navicular bone in her foot. This is a high risk injury with a long recovery timeline, which as a result means that sadly she will be unavailable for selection in 2026.”
Emily Everist (Knee) – Season
“As we have shared earlier in the pre-season, Emily ruptured her ACL in a training incident in the pre-season that required surgical repair. She has already resumed her strength work in the gym and is progressing well so far in this early phase of her rehab post-surgery.”
Injury List
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