Resilience is a trait Judson Clarke has had to rely on as he has worked his way back from a third ACL injury.

Having now integrated back into full training, Clarke is excited by the prospect of playing football again, which may only be a few weeks away.

“I think the excitement's really building now,” Clarke told SEN on Sunday. 

“I think I'm only two weeks away. I'm just itching to get out there...I just can't wait to be out there. To have the games in sight now, I'm just itching, and I can't wait to get out there, and I’m really excited.”

Clarke, unfortunately, ruptured his third ACL in June last year, after building strong form in the VFL.

The 22-year-old detailed the mindset he has had to adopt to come back stronger this year.

“Once you've done one, I think it's pretty easy to tell when you do another,” Clarke said.

“It's probably harder because what you love doing is taken away from you for a full 12 months. Initially, there's that grief and you just break down. I remember both times I just broke down in the change room, started crying straight away with mum and dad.

“You have your moment, and then you kind of get over it, and you get to focus on what to do next. Just start the rehab process from there, but the first 48 hours are tough.

“I'd say the first three months are even tougher as well, just not being able to do the basics in life, like walking, getting out of bed and trying to go to the toilet, stuff like that.”

While rehabbing the second ACL injury he sustained in a VFL clash against Werribee in April of 2024, Clarke was joined by teammates Josh Gibcus, Taj Hotton, Mykelti Lefau and Tylar Young, all of whom were also recovering from ACL injuries.

Going through the rehabilitation process with his teammates made Clarke’s recovery more enjoyable, as the group pushed one another to remain competitive whilst keeping morale high.

“I think my second one was a lot easier because I had about four other guys with me, all doing ACLs, and we were around the same time frame, so that helped a lot in terms of what we were doing,” Clarke said.    

“Being able to compete with each other sort of made rehab a competitive battle. This time around, I've kind of just been by myself.

“It's been a bit lonely at times. I think where my positivity comes from, it’s natural, I think it's instilled in me, so I'm very lucky to have a positive outlook on life, and I always like to think that it can be worse off."

Clarke recently travelled to America, where he continued his rehab at the University of Oregon, to further strengthen his knee through specific drills and exercises.

“I think going to Oregon was really beneficial for me, especially this third time around of rehab,” he said.

“I learnt a lot of new things, how to move my body in the correct way and in a more efficient way.

“It wasn't a lot of intense, long volume training, it was more mechanical drilling and really getting the footwork right and knee drive right.

“I think that's helped me, it's been something different which I haven't had in my past rehabs. I think it was probably the best thing for me, and I've just continued to work on it as I've come back to Australia, and I loved it.”