Six young players who recovered from ACL injuries to dominate the AFL

There's nothing more deflating for an AFL fan base than news of an ACL injury.

The injury, particularly for young players, has robbed the footballing world of some of its most exciting talents.

With Carlton's prized draftee, Jagga Smith, rupturing his ACL, we decided to compile a list of some of the AFL's best young prospects who successfully recovered from season-ending injuries to forge great careers.

The following players should (hopefully) give Carlton fans a small glimmer of hope.

Christian Petracca

Christian Petracca is the logical comparison to Jagga Smith - a highly touted midfielder taken early in the draft who suffered a devastating ACL injury in his first season with the club.

Just like Smith, Petracca ruptured his knee during a February pre-season training session in the lead-up to the opening round. The Demons midfielder ultimately missed the entire 2015 season and had to wait until Round 6 of the following year for his eventual debut.

Encouragingly for Smith, Petracca hit the ground running in 2016 and quickly established himself as one of the premier young players in the competition. He was also relatively undeterred by the effects of his injury, missing only five games in his first four playing seasons with the Demons. 

Max Gawn

Another key player in the Demons' core, Gawn struggled with persistent knee injuries in the early part of his footballing career.

Prior to being drafted, he ruptured his ACL as a junior player with the Sandringham Dragons. Although he was taken at Pick 34 in the 2009 AFL Draft, Gawn missed the entire 2010 season due to his knee injury.

Subsequent knee issues continued to plague the early part of his career, with a second ACL rupture forcing the ruckman to miss the 2012 season.

What followed was the emergence of arguably the most complete ruckman of this century, with a staggering seven All-Australian selections - the most for a player in his position. He has also remained incredibly durable, even after successive ACL injuries, playing every game of the Demons' finals campaign in 2018 and missing just one game during their 2021 premiership season.

Will Ashcroft

The Brisbane Lions' young star is solid proof of how rapidly modern footballers can recover from an injury as severe as an ACL rupture.

Highly touted as the son of Lions great and triple premiership player Marcus Ashcroft, Will was taken by the Lions with their second pick in the 2022 draft. In just his second game for the Lions, Ashcroft showcased his potential with a 31-disposal effort against Melbourne, earning him a Rising Star nomination.

However, in Round 19, everything came crashing down as he ruptured his ACL against Geelong, ending his rookie season and robbing the 19-year-old of his first taste of finals footy.

After a full year away, Ashcroft made his return to the side in Round 16 of the following season, showing little-to-no lingering effects from his knee injury. Ashcroft was instrumental in the Lions' successful 2024 finals campaign, winning the Norm Smith Medal for a brilliant 30-disposal grand final performance.

Robbie Gray

Some players have their careers ruined by an ACL injury, while others, such as Port Adelaide's Robbie Gray, somehow improve dramatically.

When Gray was taken as Port Adelaide's fourth pick and 55th overall in 2006, few could have predicted the career he would have. His first few seasons were mostly marred by repeated soft-tissue injuries and inconsistent moments of brilliance.

In Round 4, 2012, Gray suffered a horrific knee injury in the dying moments of the Power's clash with Collingwood. The injury required a total knee reconstruction and cost Gray the remainder of his 2012 season.

It would be a full year until his return to footy in Round 4, 2013, and with a fresh number change from 17 to 9, Gray emerged as a completely new player.

Across the next 10 seasons, Gray solidified himself as a Port Adelaide great with three consecutive best and fairest awards (2014, 2015, 2016), four All-Australian selections (the most for Port Adelaide), and a record five Showdown Medals. His career post-injury has been nothing short of remarkable.

Matthew Richardson

'Richo' was always highly touted leading into the 1992 draft, where he was taken by the Tigers with the fourth pick. Similar to Max Gawn, while his physicality and height were among the forward's biggest strengths, they also led to some early injury troubles.

In just his third season with the yellow and black, Richardson tore his ACL after dramatically hyperextending his knee in a marking contest against Sydney. He missed the rest of the 1995 season in a blow to the Tigers' premiership hopes, as they were subsequently eliminated in the preliminary final.

Richardson returned from his ACL injury to clock the best statistical season of his career, booting 91 goals and earning his first of three All-Australian selections.

The Tigers legend would play 282 games for the club and was inducted into both the AFL Hall of Fame and the Richmond Team of the Century. His 464 goals at the MCG is a record that still stands to this day. 

Tom Liberatore

Bulldogs midfield enforcer Tom Liberatore has also experienced his share of knee troubles that threatened to derail the beginning of his career.

Taken by the Bulldogs as a father-son selection, Liberatore quickly became one of the league's most promising contested players. In just his third season with the club, he finished second in their best and fairest count before taking out the Charles Sutton Medal in 2014.

However, in 2015, an ACL injury struck a then-22-year-old Liberatore, forcing him to miss that entire season.

His return from injury was stellar, with Liberatore becoming one of the key cogs for the Bulldogs' premiership success in 2016. The midfielder remained one of the game's most punishing players, tying the record for most tackles in a match against Melbourne that year, alleviating any fears over the long-term effects of the injury.

Although he re-injured his knee in 2018, Liberatore remains one of the league's most consistent accumulators of the ball and a vital piece of the Bulldogs' premiership hunt for 2025.