AFL fans are sending well-wishes after a beloved captain suffered what appears to be a serious knee injury on Saturday. Hawthorn‘s win over the Western Bulldogs in the AFLW was soured by a nasty incident involving skipper Emily Bates.
Umpires had to pause play for several minutes after Bates’ leg twisted underneath her in a tackle at the Kennedy Community Centre. She was eventually taken off the field on a stretcher with a green whistle to help ease the pain.
Emily Bates had to be taken from the field on a stretcher. Image: Getty/Fox Footy
Teammates showed their support for the much-loved captain as she was taken away. The three-time All-Australian had brought up 100 games just last week, but is now set for a lengthy stint on the sidelines.
Hawthorn coach Daniel Webster said he was proud of his players’ ability to dig deep for an 11-point win after the incident. “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. Now we’ll get around Batesy once we work out what’s going on with it and support her as best we can.”
AFL fans rally around Emily Bates
Bates will have scans to determine the severity of the injury, but it doesn’t look great. One fan wrote on social media platform X: “So sad.” Another wrote: “Best wishes to Emily Bates.”
A third said: “Losing Bates hurts. She’s an incredible leader on top of her playing ability and it’s going to be tough to find a replacement.”
While another said you could “hear a pin drop” at the ground, describing it as a “absolutely devastating blow.”
Emily Bates receives medical attention. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)
The Hawks also lost Laura Stone to concussion after an early head clash and were 11 points down at half-time. But they piled on five unanswered goals in the third quarter – four of those before Bates’ injury – to set up their 6.5 (41) to 4.6 (30) victory.
It lifted Hawthorn into the top eight with a 3-2 record, leapfrogging the Bulldogs (also 3-2) on percentage. However fans are questioning what impact Bates’ absence will have in coming games.