Open Letter: Chelsea Randall opens up about her ACL injury

CHELSEA RANDALL OPENS UP ABOUT HER ACL INJURY OPEN LETTER

Chelsea Randall’s 2020 AFLW campaign came to an end as quickly as it started, as she tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) at the first training session of the season.

In the days that followed, the AFLW co-captain penned a letter to Crows fans about her devastating injury, the support she received and what comes next.

The moment Only forty-five minutes into our 2020 preseason, and we were doing one of my favourite drills.

I had just given Anne Hatchard a cheeky little fend off, full of smiles and enjoying my footy.

And then an unfortunate change of direction led me to buckle under my knee. I remember trying to get up immediately, but I just couldn’t. The pain was there, but I was hopeful it wouldn’t be an ACL. I eventually got myself up and walked off the field. I just wanted to make sure everyone else was alright and didn’t want to worry them. I just gave everyone a high five and a thumbs up as they walked past me after the session finished.

The next day I had a scan and received the results. It was a bit of a shock to the system because I had been so positive thinking that it was just an MCL or something.

It took me some time to process it. I decided I needed to let people know that it had happened because I didn’t want it to come from another person or another source. Erin was one of the first that I told. She was really supportive and wanted to make sure that I was alright. She’s an absolute champion and she’s looking really good, hopefully she can make it out onto the field for both of us this year.

The response When I posted on socials, the influx of messages that came through was so overwhelming.

Hearing from people who you haven’t spoken to in ages or that you wouldn’t think to hear from and hearing other people’s journeys.

Lots of athletes, both men and women, have been through a similar injury and that gives me really high hopes that I’ll be able to return just like them back to the field - bigger, better, stronger.

AFLW has such a strong, supportive community, even with opposition players, coaches and supporters.

All my teammates and all our supporters have been really amazing and I can’t thank them enough for their support and for reaching out to me with positive messages.

It’s really lovely to hear that I have been in people’s thoughts.

Seeing that photo of me on the monitor at the draft was a really nice gesture.

I sent Hamish an email, just to thank him for his thoughts. It just shows how special our football club is. One club. It’s not just about the boys team, the girls team, or our SANFL, it’s about everyone coming together.

That’s what I love about our Club. What’s next There is a bit of research that suggests having a few weeks of prehab prior to surgery is beneficial in the long run. So I’m going to take advantage of that and aim to have surgery before Christmas. (Randall underwent surgery on December 20).

As for the team, I’m still having conversations with Doc (Clarke) about what my role might look like for me. My main focus is to get my rehab right and support my teammates where possible.

And if that’s in a coaching role or just assisting others where I can - I just want to make sure I still play an important role for the girls in the near future.

I’ve got some great support with players who have done an ACL previously or currently going through the rehab process. So no doubt we will lean on each other during the challenging times.

No matter what, I’ll have my dog Koda by my side - after all, she knows a thing or two about ACL injuries.

She’s done two - her first was two or three years ago and she had surgery. And then this time last year she did her other knee. I know there’s a bit of a journey ahead of me and truly believe things happen for a reason.

But honestly I can’t thank the club and everyone enough for their support. 2021 here I come.

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