It’s been a remarkable few weeks of ‘firsts’ for Port Adelaide’s Lauren Young. From making her AFLW debut in Round 5, then celebrating her first goal and first win in Power colours in Round 8, moments that she’s been waiting 18 months for. 

Speaking to the media at Alberton in a wide-ranging interview, Young reflected on her challenging ACL rehabilitation, the impact teammate Indy Tahau has had on her journey, what her debut and first goal meant to her, and how she’s managed external expectations. 

She also shared her thoughts on the group’s performance so far this season and how the team is preparing for their clash with the Brisbane Lions this weekend. 

Young on making her long-awaited AFLW debut 

“I am so happy to be back at the moment. It's really easy to lose perspective of that when you're coming back in (to the side), and obviously you want to do your role and play well and get back into things. I think on the weekend I just went out and had fun, and it was so exciting.” 

Young on managing expectations ahead of her debut 

“I think for me personally, I'm one that thinks more about my performance and my knee, so that was probably what was going through my head. I knew a lot of people wanted to see me play, and I just wanted to play my role for the team, especially because the goal is to win a premiership, and I know that being a forward, you kind of have to kick the goal to do that.” 

“It was a bit of internalised pressure, but I think after 18 months you kind of lose a bit of the perspective of worrying about the game and just going out and having fun. I was so stoked to be back, the girls made it a really special day.” 

Young on kicking her first goal at AFLW level 

“I probably underestimated how far I was away from Goody (Shineah Goody). I think I sprinted at her, and as soon as I hit the deck, I was like ‘that's such a classic me moment’. It was definitely very exciting, and I think I just saw black for three seconds there, and then I saw a bunch of faces. I think it made it even more special that we did actually stack it. I think every single person got around me when I got up. I just love that about our girls; we get around each other.” 

Young on her ACL rehabilitation 

“I did my first ACL three years ago, and then I did my second ACL. I think one ACL is as tough as it is, but two is very tough. I think getting through the second one, I went in with a different mindset to the first one. I think I was a little bit younger with the first one and probably took a bit more of a negative approach. I tried to be as positive as I could for the second one, and the Port girls, and everyone here, was so fantastic, so it made it easy for me to get through.” 

“But there were difficult moments, especially with that second meniscus repair, which we found out a couple of months after I'd been running in for pain for a while.” 

Young on what she learned about herself through her long return to the game from injury 

“If you really do believe that you can do something, you can do it. My dad says to me all the time, if you think you can or you think you can't, you're probably right. And I think that's such a good quote, because I had numerous cardio sessions where I’d be like ‘can I even get through this? I've been doing this five times every week, I can't go again’. But every single session I got it done, there was not one where I didn't finish it.” 

Young on completing her knee rehabilitation alongside teammates Indy Tahau and Janelle Cuthbertson 

“Anyone who knows Indy just knows she's a freak of an athlete. I think the first session I came to the club, we were doing a cardio session together, and we just completed the last bit, and I was stuffed. And then she said, ‘hey, why don't we do another kilometre?’ — and we got it done. I think every single time we did a session together; she pushed me to be the best version of myself. Seeing the season that she's having now, that just shows how much effort she put in as well. And JC, she's had so much experience across multiple sports, and she knows the commitment she has to put in; she's just such a resilient athlete.” 

Young on the impact Indy Tahau has had on and off the field 

“I love coming into the gym together before the game, and we do our knee prep together, and we have a good laugh before the game. Then we get out there, she's probably the most positive person I've ever met in the game. When I'm stressing before a game, she's so relaxed, so she brings that contagious energy onto me, and it makes me feel calmer. I just absolutely love playing with her, and she's had a stellar season.” 

“We obviously spent a lot of time together, and we were on the same timeline (when rehabilitating our knee injuries) for a bit. We were always doing extra stuff to do - she loves to do extras! She's been a great role model for me and a lot of the younger girls, and I know that she checks on every single player rehabilitating an injury every single day - that's just the person she is.” 

Young on the group’s performance so far this season 

“I think we're doing a lot better than we were consistency-wise at the start of the year. We’re just focusing on each game and the next team - we never look forward into the future; we're always just looking at the game ahead. We’ve done a lot of game review, and I think even coming off the back of St Kilda, we knew we had a lot of things to work on and brought it into the game against the Dogs. So, we know we can do it - it's just about taking it week by week.” 

Young on the Round 8 win against the Western Bulldogs 

“As a team we do a recap every week, and we know we can do it, it's just about all of us getting in and actually being a part of it. I think on the weekend we saw that when we all want to do it, we can do it - it's just going into that mindset every game. We know we've got some challenging games coming up, but we know that we can beat any team when we're really on. It's just about probably believing in each other.”