Brianna Green has endured a wretched run with injury.
Having cruised through her WAFLW and underage representative career unscathed, things went from bad to worse once she entered the AFLW ranks in 2017.
Green, recruited by Fremantle with pick No.13 in the 2016 NAB AFLW Draft, mustered one full game before sustaining her first serious injury – a broken collarbone.
It was a cruel blow, but one the East Fremantle product knew she could bounce back from relatively quickly.
She returned via the WAFLW later that year only to incur a wrist injury that required season-ending surgery.
Once again, she picked herself up, immersed herself in the rehabilitation process and returned to health in time for the start of the 2018 AFLW season.
Green was buzzing after playing her third senior game – Fremantle’s round one fixture against eventual premiers the Western Bulldogs – and could not wait to line up against Collingwood in round two for the first official footy contest at Perth’s new sporting cauldron, Optus Stadium.
But tragedy struck again, this time at training.
Green went down with a knee injury and subsequent scans confirmed she had ruptured her ACL – an injury that effectively dashed her dreams of playing in the third instalment of AFLW.
Having experienced such little luck since 2017, the 22-year-old wondered if she would ever get another opportunity to play at the highest level.
Fortunately, her doubts were erased when West Coast came calling and signed her on a two-year deal in April.
“I feel very fortunate,” Green said.
“West Coast didn’t need to sign me because I haven’t played a lot of footy recently. But the conversations I had with ‘Sellers’ (head of female football Adam Selwood), he said he was impressed with the few games he saw me play back in 2017.
“It’s been perfect for me mentally, having a fresh start somewhere else.”
Green’s ‘fresh start’ also comes with an added bonus – she gets to play for the team she barracked for as a child.
“A few days after I signed I posted a little photo collage on Instagram because it’s pretty special to play for the club you grew up supporting,” she said.
“I think it’s probably the spark I needed after such a tough run with injuries. It’s a little bit more special being involved with a club that you grew up supporting. It’s definitely reignited my passion for the game.”
THIS IS THE BEST! #AFLW
— West Coast Eagles (@WestCoastEagles) April 17, 2019
"Looking forward to putting on the new colours in 2020 I can’t thank @westcoasteagles enough for making my childhood dream come true "
-Brianna Green, via Instagram. pic.twitter.com/7t8W5rV6BV
Green’s injury outlook has improved significantly since landing in the Eagles’ nest.
After many dark days there is finally light at the end of the tunnel, thanks in large part to countless training sessions with AFLW strength and conditioning staffers Eric Mackenzie and Alivia Del Basso.
“It’s very different to what I’ve done previously,” Green said.
“I’ve been more involved in the rehab process. I’ve never had so much one-on-one time with staff. I’ve been doing three or four sessions a week with ‘Ezy’ (Mackenzie) and the benefits are starting to show.
“I’m progressing really well and almost full training at the moment. We’re just managing my training loads to get me back up to the kilometres we want to be hitting leading into pre-season. The body is feeling really good, probably the strongest it’s ever been. I’m really looking forward to pre-season.”
Green cannot wait to re-enter the AFLW arena wearing blue and gold and win the respect of her teammates and fans by playing a physical brand of football.
“I probably don’t play the role most people would expect when they see me,” she said.
“I might be small (Green stands at 161cm), but I’m pretty aggressive, like to get in and under and throw my body around.
“I’m not afraid to take down any player I come up against.”