It’s been a lengthy road to recovery but it seems that Amy Harrison is edging closer to a long-awaited return to Westfield W-League action.
Seen modelling the brand new Sydney FC jersey in their 2018-19 kit launch, Harrison has spent the last seven months rebuilding her left knee after tearing her anterior and medial cruciate ligaments in a match against the Newcastle Jets in January 2018.
The surgery and painstaking rehabilitation training is nothing new to the 22-year-old. It's not the first time a serious knee injury has curtailed her ascent to top of the women’s game.
As a 16-year-old, Harrison lifted the Westfield W-League title in the same season she made her Sky Blues debut in 2012-13. It didn’t take long for her to earn a permanent spot in the Sydney FC midfield and she was awarded the W-League Young Player of the Year award for her dominant performances in 2014-15.
International recognition soon followed when the Matildas came calling in 2015, but a serious ACL, MCL and meniscus tear in her right knee in December 2015 halted her progress and kept her off the field for more than a year.
Harrison was forced to watch the 2016 Rio Olympic Games from the sidelines but, after putting the dark days of recovery training behind her, Sydney FC welcomed her back into the fold in January 2017.
“Without a doubt the recovery was the hardest time of my life, but it taught me a lot,” she said when re-joining the Sky Blues.
After picking up where she left off, bossing the midfield in nine games of the 2017-18 season, a similar fate struck again – this time an ACL and MCL tear on her left knee – leaving Harrison devastated once again.
Sydney FC went on to finish season in second place, three points behind the Brisbane Roar. The 2012-13 champions are yet to lift another title since that fateful day during Harrison’s debut season.
There’s no doubt unfinished business will be on Harrison’s mind when she once again pulls on the Sky Blue jersey, as her countdown ticks ever nearer to a return to full fitness.
Follow Amy on Instagram @amyharrison
