CHLOE Molloy is hoping to be a physically and mentally freer player in 2026 after two big weights were lifted off her shoulders during the off-season.

The 27-year-old underwent surgery over the off-season for a disc bulge in her back – having already had a similar surgery in February 2023 – and gave up Sydney's co-captaincy in recent weeks.

Speaking for the first time since stepping back from her leadership title, Molloy told AFL.com.au she was inspired by former Port Adelaide captain Janelle Cuthbertson, who stood down from her role at the start of last year to focus on her rehab.

"In life you get these gut feelings and instinctual feelings, and I felt it at the back end of last year. I was feeling a sense of change, I felt there was going to be some change come for the program, we got a new coach. It wasn't a gut instinct in a bad way, it was 'all right Chloe, what do you think is next for you?'" Molloy said.

"It was really hard. I had a couple of phone calls where I was just bawling my eyes out. You want someone to make the decision for you, but that's also why I was able to be in that position, because I am capable of making hard decisions. The reason was, I have so much more to give, and a title isn't going to change that. 

"If anything, it was probably a selfless decision to go 'I know the club's in good hands', and we've got our young leaders coming through in Luce, Soph and Chi (Lucy McEvoy, vice-captains Sophia Hurley and Cynthia Hamilton), it's almost like handing over the baton. I'm okay to take a step back, I'm here to support them, but I also felt I have a duty to give everything I can to this team and maybe to some degree, the captaincy was adding a level of pressure. 

"I love the pressure, I friggin love it. I think I thrive off it. But I also felt ready – 'Chloe, you've got to give to yourself a little bit, to be the best for the girls, you maybe need to put a bit more energy to yourself'. I mentioned my body didn't bloody work, it didn't align with what I wanted it to do."

Molloy's 2025 season ended three weeks early, having attempted to push through her back injury while the Swans were still in the mix for finals.

She dragged herself onto the park for what ended up being her final match for the season, wanting to play in Pride Round in round nine, but anything more was a step too far.

"Against Carlton, in the first quarter, I was like I've got to give this everything I can, because what we're doing to keep my on the park is a lot. I was literally lopsided, and looking in the mirror, looking at your body like I'm not doing that to myself," Molloy said.

"As much as I'm a competitive beast and I held the captaincy title at the time, and I was like, 'I have to do it, the girls need me. I want to help them'. But the best way to help them was to go look after myself.

"In that moment, I knew I had to make a really selfish decision, that my body and I couldn't play football. I was thinking about playing out of the goal-square (the following week), and I sat through a day of (weighing up) Chloe at 70-80 per cent, but I grappled with the morals inside of me of what that felt like – why should I be selected, when someone who's at 100 per cent (could be). 

"From there, it was called that the season was done, which was shattering. I felt like I'd let my team down, I felt like I'd let Sydney down, on a broader scale, which is a really heavy weight to put on my shoulders. 

"To come back from a knee, and I was on such a high at the start of the year, but it's the joys of football. They say you have more lows than you do highs. I went from such a high to a low, then going through surgery again – I'd already done it once before."

Molloy said there were broader considerations than just sport, given the location of the injury.

"I'm not just thinking football, I'm thinking quality of life. This is my back, this isn't a small finger surgery. It was really serious. I had really good discussions with the surgeon and medical team and they were like – we will never put you in a position where your quality of life is jeopardised," she said.

"They said yes it's another surgery, hence why things have to change and the fact you've had two major surgeries on your back. But you can still play football and we are going to get you to a spot where you feel confident enough in your ability. That's where I'm at now, early in pre-season, where you think back and go why did I worry? But you worry because you've had two major back surgeries.

"I haven't stopped anything, but you think about your bare minimums, your training sessions, your gym sessions and your recovery sessions. For me, it's about doing a bit of extra Pilates, it might be more trigger or more movement. 

"It's not drastic changes, like Chloe sits out of Wednesday sessions, or Chloe sits out of these, it's more my body is going to take a little bit longer to recover, and I've got to understand that too. 

"My prep looks different, I don't have to do everything. If there's a movement in the gym that doesn't make my body feel good, then we adapt. It's more the real nuanced thing, changing a small movement but getting the same outcome as the player next to me, who's an 18-year-old who doesn't have the same load as me."