Sydney Swans defender Alice Mitchell has reached another major milestone in her quest to return to playing, after the 25-year-old undertook her first run session after sustaining a pre-season ACL injury, surrounded by her teammates and coaches.
“It was really nice. Having all the girls, I really wasn't expecting the support that I had. Obviously, everyone gets around you, but they went above and beyond to celebrate the milestone of just running again.” Mitchell said.
“Even though it wasn't running on the track, it's still running on the Ultra-G (Anti-Gravity running machine), which is still a bit of a milestone in itself. It's been four months since I've done my knee, so it's been a long time not being able to stride the legs.
“It was really nice just having them there. They had posters; it was a pretty special scene and pretty cool.”
Mitchell, who has featured 33 times for Sydney, averages 7.5 disposals, 3.5 handballs and 1.8 tackles a game despite suffering two ACL injuries since joining the Swans in 2022.
“I've done a knee before. It's very different to the last one that I've done. It's a little bit more complicated,” Mitchell said.
“The first six weeks waiting for surgery, just waiting for the MCL to heal, was a bit of a test on the mind and the patience. Once I had surgery after that, it feels like these last 12 weeks post-op [have] actually just flown by.
“I've had amazing support around me [but particularly] Ally Neyland; she's literally been with me through thick and thin. We've been doing this whole journey together.”
Mitchell is one of four AFLW players who have suffered a serious knee injury throughout the 2026 season, with Alex Neyland, Brenna Tarant and Ally Morphett all undergoing rehab treatment.
Even though every injury is unique and individual, Mitchell has said the unity and camaraderie that has been formed out of some of the athletes' hardest times has brought them together and made rehab a group effort rather than an individual climb.
“We've got our whole little ACL squad,” Mitchell said
“We're documenting our whole journey. As low as it's been, I have never laughed as hard as when I'm laughing at the moment. I'm having so much fun every single day.”
“Even though an ACL is hard, it is so rewarding. You come out of it so much stronger. You're so much more mentally resilient.”
Today marked another step in Mitchell’s return to Henson Park and wearing the red and white again. Though with a long road still ahead, Mitchell is determined to continue to work, improve and be ready to take the field once again come 2027.
“I felt like I had a really good base coming into this year before I did my knee, so I'm very excited for when the running, even though the running's going to be really hard, I want to come back next year being a totally different athlete,” Mitchell said.
“I have some really high goals that I want to achieve, both individually and as a team, that I'm so excited to be included in. The goal is to come back a bigger, better, stronger version of myself physically, mentally.”
