Dreaded cruciate curse strikes Leitrim's Aine Tighe for third time
AFLW: Kiltubrid & Leitrim star will miss rest of the season for Fremantle Dockers after injury in opening minute of clash with Melbourne
Leitrim's Aine Tighe has been hit by the dreaded cruciate curse for the third time after the Kiltubrid woman suffered a season ending rupture during last Saturday's NAB AFLW clash with Melbourne at the Fremantle Oval.
The former Leitrim has shown remarkable fortitude to overcome two previous cruciate injuries that prevented her from playing for her first two seasons in the AFLW and Fremantle Dockers confirmed on their website that Aine's season was over. The injury occurred in the opening minutes of the first quarter in Saturday’s clash as Tighe went to change direction.
It was particularly cruel for the 32-year-old Tighe as she has made a blistering start to the 2024 campaign, the Kiltubrid woman kicking four goals in the season opener against Essendon while she also hit a crucial goal against Port Adelaide and the absence of their co-captain will hit the Dockers severely for the rest of the season.
After two previous ACL injuries on her left knee, Tighe sustained the ACL rupture in her left knee and was seen on the sidelines before having scans straight after the contest. Aine's injury timeline will be confirmed post-surgery.
Speaking to the Observer two years ago, Aine recalled the trauma of her first two ACL injuries but never felt like giving up the oval ball game: "It was tough, there were times that it was particularly challenging but it makes when you do get back out all the easier. There were certainly times when I didn’t know if I was ever going to get back to playing at all, over here or there. Definitely doubts creep in but I think that is only natural.
“But once you start seeing progress and start playing games, your confidence comes back pretty quickly - once you are out there playing, you don’t think about these things at all.”
In that interview, Aine also revealed her gratitude to Fremantle Dockers for their support during her previous injury spells: "Culture is a thing that is huge over there, they talk about it all the time but they really follow through on it. They really do look after people - if they appreciate what you’ve done, what you’ve given up to be there and they see you putting in the work and doing whatever you can to be there, they’ll back you 100%. That definitely kept me going during the more difficult parts of the rehabilitation process."
Fremantle Head of AFLW Claire Heffernan said the Club will be with Tighe every step of the way throughout her rehabilitation: “We are all devastated for Áine. She is an incredibly important player and leader in our team and will be sorely missed on the field for the remainder of the 2024 season.
“We have no doubt Áine will use every ounce of her determination to attack her rehabilitation with gusto. We as a Club will be steadfast in our support of her and will go above and beyond to make sure she has everything she needs to heal and repair from this injury.”
Senior Coach Lisa Webb praised Tighe in her post-match media conference after Saturday’s game, crediting the co-vice-captain’s leadership: “She honestly is incredible. She was up on the bench really early after she got ruled out of the game. She’s so good at staying on task. She’s a great leader and she’s very focused on what she wants for this team.”