FOLLOWING a successful comeback in a Hockeyroos trial game last Tuesday, international Jade Warrender admits to feeling like her return from a second ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) “might never happen.”
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The 20-year-old libero’s dream of a berth at the London Olympics was tragically cruelled in May last year when her right knee gave way in a routine training exercise with the Hockeyroos in Perth.
Before going down with her second ACL rupture in three years, Warrender was all but a certainty to earn selection in the Australian women’s hockey team to compete in London.
It would have been her first Olympic games.
And, if the Orange Ex-Services’ junior let a couple of setbacks get to her along the 11-month road to recovery, her dream of competing on the biggest stage may have ended before it even began.
Admitting the second bout of rehabilitation was “a lot harder” than the first, Warrender suffered a bout of Iliotibial band friction syndrome (ITB) and most recently a quad strain, further hindering her recovery for another two months.
“It was more mentally tough than physically tough,” Warrender said, with ITB Friction Syndrome caused by repeated trauma, resulting in pain on the outside of the knee during and following running or repetitive leg activity.
“When you’re focused on a date for a comeback and it keeps being pushed back and pushed back after injury after injury, it’s really hard to keep motivated. It was the hardest two months of my career.
“It’s just such a relief to be back out there on the field especially after I thought it might never happen.”
Warrender’s comeback match was against an under 18s boys outfit, ensuring her knee was given a good first up test.
She came through unscathed.
“It was always going to be a bit rusty, I’m just happy I was out there,” the 20-year-old said, the last time Warrender came back from a ruptured ACL was with Kinross-CYMS in the women’s Premier League Hockey.
“I did some good things and I did some bad things.
“It was a good starting point.”
Warrender’s comeback game will ensure the defensive midfielder is in calculations to rejoin the Hockeyroos on an upcoming Korea hockey series in Perth.
Both senior and junior women’s side will be selected to take on the Asian nation between April 24 and May 9 at the Perth Hockey Centre.
The Korean tournament is being used as a warm-up for the junior world cup, a competition Warrender is likely to be competing in.
“I think I’m going to be selected in the junior side,” she said, still eligible for the under 21s team.
“It wasn’t the smoothest comeback to sport. I had a quite a few setbacks in the last couple of months but I’m cleared to play full rotation now.
“I’ll slot straight back into the rotation with the rest of the team.”
nick.mcgrath@ruralpress.com.au
