At the start of the year Western NSW Panthers FC recruit Sammie Wood had her entire season mapped out.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But for brief moment on Sunday her plans came to an abrupt halt.
The 19-year-old thought the worst when she rolled her ankle, heard a snap and had to be taken from the Alex Lamberton Field by ambulance.
While Panthers fought back to hold Manly United FC to a
2-all draw, Wood was taken straight to hospital fearing the worst.
“Went it happened I couldn’t put any weight on my
ankle and the ice made it hurt even more,” she said.
“All year my main focus has been on going to the All Schools competition in Melbourne and I was very upset that I might not have been able to go.”
However, Wood’s mind was put at ease some what on Sunday night when a scan revealed the injury was not as bad as first thought.
“They took an X-ray straight away and at the time there was no obvious break,” she said.
“However, there was a faint line so they put me in a cast because there was no way that I could keep off it.
“Basically now I’m going to be in a cast until Monday
and I’m going to have my
fingers cross and be praying that I might be able to start some running on it after the weekend.
“The NSW team is coming together for some training on July 29 before flying down
to Melbourne, so, hopefully, I should be right by then.
“I did a similar thing to my left ankle at the start of the year and it came good.”
If Wood can make it onto
the plane to Melbourne, she knows exactly what to expect having tasted success at the
All Schools competition two years ago.
“I made the Australian Schools team in 2008, but could go on the tour because it clashed with the W-League competition,” she said.
“However, this time the
W-League starting dates have changed, so if I was picked
I could go on the tour and
getting picked has been a big goal of mine all year.”
Wood had hoped the 2010 season for Western would see her make up for some lost time.
While her injury will end
her year for Panthers with Western missing out on the
top four spot and semi-finals birth, Wood’s 2010 campaign still appears to be on the way up for the rising talent.
“Playing for Western has been a real comeback for me
as I missed playing in the
W-League for the 2009-10
season,” she said.
“I was playing for the Newcastle Jets but had a ski boat accident and fractured my skull and didn’t get to play last season.
“Later this year I was hoping to trial for the Canberra team in the W-League, so, hopefully, I’m still on track for that too.”