While Olivia Vesely’s torrid run with injury has provided its fair share of pain, being forced to watch her teammates from the sidelines for the majority of the previous two pre-seasons stung just as much.
A torrid injury run with wave after wave of soft tissue injuries and surgeries had ruled the Best & Fairest midfielder out for all of 2021, before she finally made her return to senior football 664 days after her last senior game. Vesely was managed for several weeks in the midpoint of Season 6 to prevent another flare-up, but returned just in time for the Saints’ two wins of the year. Joint Best & Fairest honours and a NAB Rising Star nomination in 2020 have signalled her potential when fully fit and firing - achievements even more significant after being overlooked in both the 2017 and 2018 AFL Women’s drafts.
