Hawthorn’s AFLW win over the Western Bulldogs was overshadowed by a suspected serious knee injury to captain Emily Bates, who was carried from the field during the Hawks’ 11-point victory at the Kennedy Community Centre.
Bates’s right leg twisted beneath her in a tackle, bringing play to a halt for several minutes before she was taken away on a stretcher. She will undergo scans in the coming days.
The three-time All-Australian had reached her 100-game milestone the previous week and now faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Hawthorn also lost Laura Stone to concussion following an early head clash.
Despite trailing by 11 points at half-time, Hawthorn responded with five unanswered goals in the third quarter. Four came before Bates’s injury, helping the Hawks secure a 6.5 (41) to 4.6 (30) result.
Hawthorn coach Daniel Webster praised his players for maintaining their focus after losing their captain.
“It’s incredibly difficult [to remain focused]. I’ve seen numerous times in AFLW different ways where this has really impacted groups,” he said.
“Credit to our players, they kept their minds on the job, as challenging as that was, and were able to dig deep and finish the game off.”
The result moved Hawthorn, now 3-2, into the top eight and above the Bulldogs on percentage. Western Bulldogs had kicked three of the opening four goals but were held scoreless during the third quarter as the contest swung decisively in Hawthorn’s favour.
Irish forward Aine McDonagh was central to the win, kicking a career-best four goals and taking her season tally to 16 in five matches. She now leads the AFLW goal-kicking standings.
Eliza West collected 24 disposals, Tamara Smith had 20 and Jasmine Fleming 19, while ruck Lucy Wales also impressed. Isabelle Pritchard led all players with 31 disposals and eight clearances for the Bulldogs, with Elisabeth Georgostathis adding 19 touches.
Webster said Hawthorn would support Bates while awaiting the outcome of her scans.
“Now we’ll get around Batesy once we work out what’s going on with it and support her as best we can,” he said.
