I felt sick all over again when I read of Bri Davey’s misfortune last Friday night; to see one of the strongest, most competitive and widely respected players in the competition felled by the dreaded ACL injury was confronting. Then again two days later, the same feeling washed over as I watching Izzy Huntington’s knee buckle underneath her, moments after plucking two strong contested marks and stamping her arrival on AFLW. It’s the footballer’s curse and the brighter light being shed on the women’s game in the past few years hasn’t only revealed deep passion, talent and unfathomable tenacity, it’s also exposed our increased susceptibility to serious knee injuries when compared to men. Experts attribute it to a range of factors; structural differences in the female pelvis, the discrepancy in natural strength between men and women and the relative inexperience of the current female cohort. The extraordinary spate of ACLs to high-profile players last weekend brought fresh urgency to the conversation about what can be done to prevent them. It absolutely demands consideration from the league, clubs and players, and understandably parents, families and onlookers generally may have their concerns.

Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett has been outspoken on the issue of injuries and this week again raised his concerns, going as far as to say that he was glad Hawthorn didn’t have a team in the AFLW because of the risk of these knee injuries. Kennett called for the AFL to think urgently about reforming the competition to make it safer on the basis that the female body wasn’t capable of playing the version of the game that men have and that the short format of the season increased the risks.The reforms he proposed included changing the size of the ground and the number of players, to the AFLX concept. He then went on to say the AFLX concept didn’t interest him at all but that it might be better suited to the women. Where do I start ... Maybe where it all began and why I and many women and girls fell in love with the game in the first place. I wanted to play Australian rules football because my brother did, my dad did, every local ''hero'' I knew did. The footy club was the heartbeat of our community and more broadly its part of the fabric of Australian culture. I was drawn to football through my want to be a part of it and while it was somewhat unusual in the 1990s for a little girl to play such a physical, contact sport, that was exactly what I loved about it.

I think I speak on behalf of most women and girls to say that the physicality of the game is what sets it apart. Ask any young player what her favourite thing about footy is and watch her eyes light up when she says she loves to tackle. For a long time society has implied that us girls should be careful, pretty and polite. Playing football gives me a platform to express other qualities such as strength and aggression. For two precious hours every weekend I’m encouraged to take risks, I can bash and crash and get muddy. I fully appreciate the need to further investigate why these injuries happen and resource programs that help to reduce our risks, but to tamper with the physicality of the game or its essential constitution in the name of preventing knee injuries is to take away the exact reasons we play. Besides, other than to say women and girls shouldn’t run or jump or change direction, it’s difficult to imagine what changes could be made to the rules or make-up of the game to prevent them. Many ACL injuries happen with the most innocuous of movements. We must also recognise that serious knee injuries aren’t unique to football. The multiple factors that put us more at risk of ACLs would apply if we were to play any other multi-directional contact sports too, as evidenced by the rates of ACL injury in female netball, basketball and soccer players. There is a huge body of evidence that shows the significant health benefits on offer as a direct result of participation in these popular team sports. Already we know that it is more difficult to get young girls and women to participate in the recommended amount of physical activity. I’d argue then, that there is more potential for harm if we discourage girls from playing these sports on the basis of increased risk of knee injury.

Injury can't stop young Bulldog Isabel Huntington singing the song with teammates. Credit:AAP In regard to Kennett’s concerns about the length of the AFLW competition, if he’s suggesting we expand the length of the season and allocate more resources to programs that might reduce the incidence of these injuries – I am with him; the more footy and time to train the better I say! But if he’s suggesting the eight-week format makes it not worth the risk of injury, I vehemently object. The sense of pride, achievement and satisfaction on offer in a sports competition or event isn’t proportionate to its duration. The Winter Olympics are the perfect example. Aerial skiers spend less than a minute in the air across the whole event but that minute and any subsequent Olympic success is a culmination of four or more years of hard work and dedication. The same goes for AFLW. It’s a seven-eight-week competition but the level of commitment is no different to that of a competition that runs all year. We continue to play and train beyond the summer season, dedicating ourselves to our VFLW clubs and overall development with the ultimate aim of being the best we can possibly be for the two months we do get on the big stage.

Kennett’s statement that he “doesn’t like it when three women go down with an ACL” supports another phenomenon I’ve observed which I think skews the broader public’s perception of how significant this issue of injuries within women’s football really is.