Melbourne AFLW star Tayla Harris has had her season drawn to a close following a re-injuring of her shoulder in week one of the season.
Upon follow-up scans on Tuesday, it revealed significant damage to her left shoulder, one she had surgery on last December.
The talented key-position star will undergo surgery and miss the entire campaign.
โTayla experienced two moments of concern on Saturday night, the first being during the opening quarter in a contest,โ Melbourne's Head of Women's Football Jessie Mulholland said in a club update.
Tayla Harris hurt her already-strapped shoulder in this tackle ๐ค pic.twitter.com/5JSTnXRA76
— 7AFL (@7AFL) August 31, 2024
โDespite initial pain, she had full strength and range of movement in her shoulder, so was cleared to return.ย
โTayla was then involved in a ground ball contest during the third quarter, which saw her land on her shoulder and suffer the dislocation. She was subsequently ruled out of the game.ย ย
โThe extent of the damage unfortunately increases Tayla's risk of further dislocations and overall shoulder stability, and therefore the possibility of further structural impact, meaning she will require surgery.ย
โIt's an incredibly disappointing outcome for Tayla, who had a strong block of full contact training with her shoulder heading in, and was ready to attack her ninth season at the top level.โย ย
It comes as Harris just overcame a pre-season quad problem that she sustained during the club's final match practice but was ultimately cleared for Round 1.
The 27-year-old initially hurt her shoulder during Saturday's contest with Geelong and then returned to the field before a strong tackle ruled her out of the match just after half-time.
Elsewhere at the Demons, Liv Purcell will return to the club after making her way home from Adelaide following the facial injury she sustained in a pre-season clash.
โLiv will be back in the club this week, she's returned and just currently resting up at home at the moment,โ Women's Football Head of High Performance Sam Batterton said.โฏ
โShe'll then return to the club at the back end of the week, then we can map out what a return to play will look like.โฏ
โBut it'll be great to have her back in the club.โโฏ
Lily Johnson made her unofficial start to her career in the red and blue, taking the field in a scrimmage match and will be looking to make an impact for the main side after being declared available for the club.
Melbourne takes on the reigning premiers Brisbane on Saturday at Casey Fields and will look to continue their form after a stirring victory over the Cats.
