Hawthorn captain Emily Bates out for AFLW season with torn ACL
Hawthorn AFLW captain Emily Bates will miss the rest of the 2026 season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee.
Hawthorn confirmed the injury on September 14. Scans showed the tear after Bates left the field during the Hawks' win over the Western Bulldogs on Saturday. Her leg twisted awkwardly in a tackle.
The damage is more than an ACL. Bates has also hurt her meniscus, the cartilage that cushions and steadies the knee, and will undergo surgery, according to ABC News. The ACL is the key ligament that holds the knee stable when players twist, turn and land. Her season is over.
Bates is 30, a three-time All-Australian and Hawthorn's captain. She is one of the competition's most durable midfielders, a ball-winner who sets the tone at stoppages where the ruck taps the ball down and both sides hunt first possession.
Her injury has a cruel timing. Earlier this month Bates was due to play her 100th AFLW game when Hawthorn hosted Adelaide in the club's first official game at Dingley, as noted by AFL.com.au. To reach a century in a competition that began in 2017 marks her as one of its true mainstays.
Hawthorn must now regroup quickly. The Hawks face North Melbourne in Cairns on Friday night without Bates. They will also be without Laura Stone, who has concussion, a brain injury that requires a stand-down under AFL rules.
Midfielder Daisy Flockhart is also in doubt. She copped a knock to the chest against the Bulldogs and has to prove her fitness before the trip north.
For fans, this means a leadership test. Bates drives Hawthorn's midfield shape, filling the hole in front of the ball and directing traffic behind it. Losing that voice for the run home hurts.
