Claremont’s Mackenzie Webb overcomes partial ACL tear to emerge as defensive draft prospect

But just a couple of millimetres saved Mackenzie Webb from a year on the sidelines.

The key defender was in the middle of a regulation, midweek training session after Claremont’s round one win over East Fremantle when she landed awkwardly.

“I landed with a straight leg on some uneven ground. I didn’t feel any pain at the time. But I woke up the next day and couldn’t walk,” Webb recalls.

Scans revealed a grade one ACL sprain that club physios suspect might have been lurking since a previous injury but tore ever so slightly after fresh aggravation. Still, the ligament is infamous for submitting sufferers to one of the longest rehabs in football.

Webb knows just how lucky she is.

“I was speechless for a couple seconds,” she said. “You hear ACL and it’s, ‘Crap, that’s not good.’ Then you get told you’re at an increased risk of tearing it which is a bit scary. But I was very lucky with the result.”

Just shy of two months on the sidelines, Webb finally made her return on Sunday against South Australia in the opening game of the Under-18 AFLW National Championships. And easing back into football wasn’t an option.

The 18 year-old was given one of the most daunting tasks in underage football: keeping Lauren Young quiet. The South Australian wunderkind won the SANFLW’s Fairest and Best as a 15-year-old back in 2021 before an ACL tear sidelined her for a year.

Young picked up where she left off, kicking two goals in the first quarter before Webb, WA’s most accomplished stopper, was shifted onto her.

“I just wanted to have a crack and show everyone I was capable of shutting down such a talented player,” Webb said. “I didn’t want to think too much about who she was and what she’s done, like winning the MVP in 2021. I didn’t want to overwhelm myself so I had to think of her as another tough and talented player.

“Her work rate (is a standout). She’d be in the contest and immediately follow up and try and win the ball back. She’s consistently putting in second and third efforts. She pushes up into the midfield if she can, more so than other forwards.”

Young kicked just one goal for the rest of the match and Webb was named among the Sandgropers’ best.

The circumstances weren’t dissimilar to Webb’s senior Claremont debut in 2021. After coming through the Tigers’ Rogers Cup squad, Webb was elevated after just four games and handed a lockdown defensive role that proved vital to a gritty three-point win over Peel Thunder.

“I remember they gave me one job to shut down a particular player. And I thought, ‘If I don’t do that, I’ll let the team down,’” she said. “It’s been a natural progression. I like having a sole focus for each game rather than just running around. I think I play better if I have little goals to hit within games.

“A lot of it is looking at vision and wrapping my head around what their strength are and what they like to do. I have to think about what I can do to limit that on game day. I try to keep pretty relaxed and not get stressed about it.”

Webb’s ability to lockdown on an opponent has seen her earn admirers both internally at Claremont and externally. Last year, Webb was invited to be a train-on at Fremantle and was even named as an emergency for the AFLW side when they were short on numbers.

“It was an incredible experience to see what level the girls train at. Being there and alongside them, my footy IQ developed and I learnt how to move through contests and my skills got better as well,” she said.

Webb’s ultimate goal is to crack the AFLW on a permanent basis. Overlooked in last month’s supplementary draft, Webb admitted to being upset but she now knows the level she has to perform at to get noticed.

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“I didn’t have any expectations. I just wanted to chuck my name in. Being overlooked is obviously a bit upsetting. You always have hope that it could happen but I had to move on pretty quickly after that and start looking at my weaknesses and what I can improve on,” she said.

“Going forward, I want to be as consistent as I can and match how I played against South Australia. I want to bring that intent and hunt to the footy. I want to show recruiters what I can do and prove it wasn’t a one-off.”

Webb returns to Claremont’s side for a grand final rematch against East Fremantle on Saturday night at the WACA ground.