CRAIG Starcevich has described her as Brisbane’s “point of difference”, so when Ellie Hampson dislocated her shoulder and broke her collarbone in five places midway through the season, there was only one course of action to take.

While the surgery, which included inserting nine screws to stabilise the area, usually takes three months to fully recover from, Hampson and the Lions were in more of a hurry.

They decided to take an “aggressive” approach to rehabilitation, getting the powerful half-forward back on the field within six weeks and having her available prior to finals.

But to do so would take Hampson to places she hasn’t been before, including training sessions with a mixed martial arts fighter to prove her fitness.

“The club really put the belief in me,” Hampson told AFL.com.au.

“Knowing if I could get back, I was straight in, that belief was enough to get me through rehab, as long as I held up my end of the bargain.

“The surgeon likes to make sure things are more structurally sound, but we’re in a different position to the general public. I’m lucky enough to get treatment every day from the physio and really accelerate the process.”

Which is exactly what she did.

Although Hampson was understandably rusty in her return match against Collingwood in the final round of the home and away season, she exploded with a two-goal outing in the qualifying final win over Melbourne a week later.

The 24-year-old said the six-week recovery was like a mini pre-season that she saw as an opportunity more than a hindrance.

With Brisbane stacking up the wins and surging into the top four, Hampson could concentrate on being in the best shape possible when she returned.

To get there though, the club’s strength and conditioning team suggested she train with MMA fighter Damien Brown, who specialises in jiu jitsu, at Brisbane’s Base Training Centre.

“He was a legend,” Hampson said.

“It was an unreal opportunity and a massive part of my recovery. He was taking me to ground and there were some hits where I thought ‘hoooley’.

“There was no option. I had to do it. Every part of me needed to get back as soon as possible.

“We had two really solid sessions and then a game and scrimmage and I was good to go.

“It always surprises me how many ideas our S&C and physios come up with. They go into any nook and crevice to find any advantage.

“No way I was passing an opportunity to get back out there and help us. It was scary in a way, but scary with excitement.”

Following Brisbane’s win over the Demons, Starcevich compared Hampson to a two-time male premiership player with her power and ability to impact games in different ways.

And it’s a reputation she’s built on the big stage, with her two goals in the 2023 Grand Final against North Melbourne pivotal in the Lions winning that premiership.

“Her record over the past three years with us in big games has been top of the charts,” Starcevich said.

“She’s just different. She plays Cam Rayner type footy in that part of the ground, which is strength and get-out-of-my-way type of footy.

“It’s impressive and it’s a point of difference to have a player like that.”

Hampson said Starcevich and the Lions coaches know what buttons to push to get her going.

It’s something they’ll need to do again for Saturday night’s preliminary final against Carlton at Brighton Homes Arena.

“When I’m given an opportunity, given that belief, I’ll do everything I can to live up to it,” she said.

“When finals come around Craig puts an enormous amount of belief in me.

“I owe it to him, and I owe it to the team. The time and effort they put into me in my rehab, the bare minimum I can do is give every bit of myself to the team.

“I try and do all the little things … making my teammates stand taller. If I go into a contest and compete well, that makes the next person stand a bit taller.

“If my teammates have trust I have their back, I’m doing my job. My job is to be the best teammate I can be.”