This post was first written for and published by Siren Sport.
Holli Wheeler is just a couple of weeks away from making a full recovery from a ruptured ACL—an injury she sustained whilst competing for the St George Illawarra Dragons at the New Zealand Nines almost a year ago.
After a 12-month recovery, Wheeler is itching to get back into the contact side of footy and hopes to be representing the North Sydney Bears for round one of the Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership when it commences later this year.
“I’m nearly there, I’m so close I can taste it,” said Wheeler.
“I can’t explain how much I’m enjoying warming up with my teammates again. I laugh the whole way through the warm-up and maybe some people think I’m not taking my footy too seriously, but I’m just stoked to be there.”
This ruptured ACL was Wheeler’s first serious injury. It was also the first time that Wheeler couldn’t just push through the pain; she had to succumb to it.
“I’ve had injuries where you can just push yourself to finish the game, or push through the week and manage it by biting down on your mouthguard and just pushing through,” said Wheeler.
“But with this injury, I couldn’t do that. It has taught me so much about patience, about how my body works and about how important my knees are. I’m never taking that for granted again.”
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