It was a well-earned welcome home for defender Ellie Brush as she played her first minutes of football on Friday night after recovering from tearing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) twice in as many years.
𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙉𝙂𝙎 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀 𝙏𝙊 𝙎𝙀𝙀:
Ellie Brush making her first Liberty A-League appearance in 666 days! 🥰
Great to have you back, @Brushy7!
Catch all the action LIVE on @Channel10AU PLAY 📺
Follow live: https://t.co/O2b43WQOvu#CANvMCY #WeAreALeagues @LibFinancial pic.twitter.com/8JEFUJQiD1
— Liberty A-League (@aleaguewomen) December 23, 2022
In the post-match press conference, Brush experienced all the emotions when reflecting on the last few years after her team went down to Melbourne City 4-0.
“I probably shouldn’t have played again, because of the last two knee injuries, it’s taken a massive toll,” she said.
It’s been 21 months since she initially tore her ACL, that was followed by eight months of rehabilitation before she made it back onto the field for Sydney FC, only to tear the same ACL again early into her first season back.
After another 12 months of rehab, Brush was fighting back tears as she reflected on her half-time substitution for the club that started her career.
“It’s pretty emotional to be back because no one gave me a chance, but Canberra had the faith in me and I’m really happy to get out there and get one under my belt,” she said.
The match was made even more special for Brush as it was her first one playing as a mother after welcoming a son with her wife Kristy in March.
“Leo; he’s our world, there’s nothing like it. It’s right what they say, you won’t know until you’re a parent.
It’s everything, and this is just a game. He doesn’t care that it’s 4-0. I’ll go home to that smiling face, that’s what it’s all about,” she said.
Brush is one of the most capped A-League Women players, with over 130 appearances to her name and was Canberra United’s inaugural captain in 2008.
She led the team for five seasons, including the 2011/12 season where Canberra went undefeated to claim the championship.
After leaving to play overseas, Brush returned to Canberra in 2016 and played another year before putting her hand up for the AFLW where she juggled both codes after relocating to Sydney.
Over five years later and she’s returned again to the club where it all started.
“Some familiar faces and new kids coming through.
It’s great to see the base we kind of built all those years ago,” she said.
She credited her family for supporting her not just through her football journey but also everything else that comes off the field.
“Injury doesn’t just affect your football, your time on the field,” Brush said.
“We’re not full-time athletes, we’ve got to work a job, we’ve got to be a mum as well. I can’t just rehab my injury and be paid for it. My wife has to put up with me going through two surgeries, [while] trying to keep up the household together and raise a son.”
Now that she’s made her return, Canberra will look to draw on her experience as they look to improve on their shaky start to the season.
Feature image credit: Canberra United
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