WHEN star forward Indy Tahau went down in the third quarter of the round three match against Greater Western Sydney, it could have been enough to rattle Yartapuulti's whole forward line. 

With the Giants breathing down their neck, and Tahau hobbling off with a ACL injury, pressure on the Power was at an all-time high. 

But the Power knew they had to stay calm. After all, they were "doing it for Indy".

With a game-saving contested grab from Matilda Scholz in the dying seconds of the fourth term, a clinical play was set up for a perfect clutch mark by 20-year-old forward Lauren Young. 

Despite it being just her seventh game, Young took a breath and calmly slotted through the match-winning goal - an effort that helped earn her the round three Telstra AFLW Rising Star nomination in the process. 

From the heartbreak of a star forward going down, to the rise of another within 20 minutes – that's the swings and roundabouts of football. 

"We went in at three-quarter time, we were all like, 'we're doing this for Indy'," Young said. 

"[The injury] didn't look great, and I think, she knew in her own head. But we are obviously all playing for each other, and I think that was a really good motivator for us. 

"She was sensational after the game, and she just brought the vibes up, even though she probably felt pretty bad.

"I think she's got about 16 essays about how much we're here for her, and we love her." 

It's unfortunately not the first major injury for Tahau, with the 23-year-old previously tearing her left ACL in 2023, before attacking her rehab to make her long-awaited return in 2025. 

After finishing as the League's leading goalkicker last season, the defender-turned-forward was primed for another stellar year in her new position, but it just wasn't meant to be. 

While Tahau unfortunately steps back from Yartapuulti's 2026 campaign, Young says there's plenty of teammates waiting in the wings to be called upon to fill the gap. 

"I think we've stayed pretty calm," Young said. 

"We have so much depth in our team, and it gives a good opportunity for the likes of Julia Teakle, Grace Parsons, Jasmine Sowden, we've got so many people who could be brought in. 

"Indy being a tall, it lacks a bit of height in the forward line now, but yeah, that's what the likes of Teakle and Grace are for.

"I think our team's got a great mix of smalls and talls, and we've all worked really well together as a forward line, so it should be really good going forward." 

Teakle is the 23-year-old former co-vice-captain who has been selected for her first game of 2026 in Saturday's round four clash with Gold Coast. With 24 games since her 2022 debut, this gap left by Tahau might just be Teakle's opportunity to consistently get back into the Power's best 21.  

Parsons, meanwhile, is a 180cm injury replacement player taken in the pre-season for the inactive Jemma Charity and has also been named to make her debut in round four. 

Humble as a "role player" for her team, Young didn't throw her own name around as someone to step into Tahau's shoes despite last weekend's performance. Even reflecting on her part in the final moment, she credited her teammates. 

"When I saw ‘Tilds' take it, I was like, no shock there. The GOAT's up in the air flying," Young said with a laugh. 

"When she brought that down, I think that was such a crucial moment for us and she had a sensational game, which was really good. Then obviously, I was looking at Teagan (Germach) the whole time, and I was like, ‘please kick it to Teagan'. I knew that was the only place that she had to kick it, and Matilda nailed it.

"Honestly, it was ‘Popey' (Katelyn Pope) that helped me (stay calm). She was the one that picked the ball off the ground, and she did this cheeky little smile, and I thought, yeah, we've got it here … we practiced the captain's run the day before, and I got picked to kick the set shot, and I got it. So, I was like, 'do exactly what I did yesterday, act calm. It will be fine'." 

Like Tahau, Young has battled her own injury demons with a ruptured ACL in both 2021 and her first year in the AFLW system in 2024, the latter setback delaying her debut to 2025. 

Despite her challenging start to her career, Young says the experience changed her mentality and gave her the resilience to stand up in moments like those last weekend. 

"I think in rehab, because it is such a long time, it's good to celebrate the small little things, even if it's just doing a squat or running again, celebrating each little thing," Young said. 

"I think, even when I do things now like stub my toe or something, I'm like, 'oh, it couldn't be worse than rehab', so I think it's been a great resilience builder in my head. And obviously all the girls who have gone through it, they know what it's like. It's really good to get some reward at the end of it."