COLLINGWOOD is bracing itself for the worst after Kalinda Howarth suffered a knee injury in the opening quarter of Saturday’s clash against Hawthorn at Victoria Park. 

Howarth was assisted off the field after getting caught in a Laura Stone tackle inside the Magpies’ forward 50, which saw her right knee twist and buckle.

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The former Gold Coast forward joined Collingwood ahead of the 2024 AFLW season after suffering an ACL injury in September 2023. She spent nearly two years on the sidelines as she rehabbed the injury before breaking the 712-day drought in round one, 2025.

“It’s really disappointing for Kalinda,” Collingwood coach Sam Wright said after the game.

“She’s putting in a mountain of work [and has] been so good with her performances on the field. She’ll get scans in the coming days and go from there.”

Later in the match, Hawthorn’s Bridie Hipwell was taken off the ground on a stretcher after her lower leg made contact with Ash Centra’s shin partway through the third quarter. Hipwell appeared to be in a significant amount of pain as medical staff attended to her injury. 

Hawthorn coach Daniel Webster said Hipwell had been taken to hospital for scans.

“Obviously it didn’t look great [but] they’re always hard to see. We’ll get her assessed and see what the damage is,” he said post-game.

“Hopefully she bounces back and it’s not as bad as it looks.”

Centra was also assessed after the collision but appeared to have avoided injury. The number No.1 pick returned to the field, collecting a further seven disposals and kicking a goal during the final quarter. 

“She’s presented okay, and we’ll do all our assessments in the following days,” Wright said. 

Both the Howarth and Hipwell injures occurred in a similar spot on the ground – inside the 50m arc at the grandstand end of Victoria Park. 

Neither Wright nor Webster expressed any concerns that the state of the turf at Victoria Park contributed to the Howarth and Hipwell injuries.

“That’s one for the AFL… [the ground] is ticked off by the AFL any week,” said Wright.

“We love playing here, we love that the fans come here, we love that [the club] has a lot of rich history here.”

Webster concurred.

“I came here on Wednesday to have a look around, and I thought it was fine,” Webster said.

“There’s some wear and tear on it but considering it’s an open ground for the public to come out and bring their dogs and whatever else, I think it’s actually pretty good.

“It’s quite firm, but I don’t mind it because it’s firm and fast and allows you to move the ball and run. So no dramas from our end.”