Fremantle midfielder/forward Ann McMahon has been ruled out for the 2020 NAB AFL Women’s season after undergoing surgery on a broken leg sustained while working as a police officer on Christmas eve.

McMahon underwent the procedure on Thursday to repair a broken fibula on her left leg.

Unfortunately, scans on her right leg have shown that McMahon also ruptured her ACL in the incident and will undergo another surgical procedure in the coming weeks.

A midfielder from East Fremantle, where she played in their 2019 premiership-winning side, McMahon was drafted at pick no.35 in the 2019 AFLW draft and was set to add valuable experience to Fremantle’s midfield.

AFLW manager Darryn Fry paid tribute to McMahon’s character and resilience.

“We are devastated for Ann, who has shown incredible strength as she navigates this difficult period,” Fry said.

“While losing her as a player for the 2020 season is a blow, this incident only illustrates that some things are bigger than football and the Fremantle Football Club is committed to supporting Ann through her rehabilitation.

“We also thank her wife, Issy, and the WA Police Force for their assistance through this time.”

McMahon said she still dreams of pulling on the Fremantle jumper.

“Everyone around us has been really supportive of myself and Issy. It’s amazing how many people have offered to do anything and be anywhere, just whatever I need,” McMahon said.

“We’re beyond thankful for the support of Fremantle and they’ve been instrumental on my road to recovery so far and I have no doubt that they’ll support me throughout.

“The most important thing for me is to just focus on the next stage of rehab and get ready for 2021.”

Fremantle AFLW high performance manager Kate Starre praised McMahon’s positive outlook following the incident.

“Ann’s doing as well as she can at this stage and her courage has been remarkable,” Starre said.

“She’s been down to the club to watch training three times already and to see her here has been inspirational.

“Obviously, she has a few issues going on with both of her legs, they’re her major injuries, and they’re the ones that we’ll help her through.

“Other than that, she has some bumps and bruises but she’s in a great state of mind. She’s just a remarkable person and a great person to have around the club right now.

“Ann’s already asking for programs and what she can do post-surgery and we’ll hopefully be able to start looking at that with her from next week.”