The AFL has moved to act on the issue of ACL injuries in women’s sport, engaging La Trobe University to conduct a pilot ACL injury prevention program.

The global reality that women are more likely than men to suffer ACL tears hit home on the weekend when two of AFLW’s biggest names went down with knee injuries.

Studies have shown women are around five times more likely to tear their ACL than men playing the same sports.

Carlton captain Brianna Davey’s season is over after she tore her ACL in the Blues’ win over Greater Western Sydney on Friday night, while the Western Bulldogs confirmed on Monday that Isabel Huntington had ruptured the ACL in her right knee in Sunday’s win over the Brisbane Lions, and would also miss the rest of the season.

Huntington, the No. 1 draft pick last year, had kicked two goals in quick succession moments before her injury, having only just returned from a knee reconstruction on her left knee following an injury in 2016. She also broke her right leg in 2015.