West Coast Eagles AFLW star defender Sophie McDonald receives another injury setback in delayed start to 2024

Luckless West Coast Eagles defender Sophie McDonald, who hails from Albany, has endured a horror start to the 2024 AFLW season, with concussion and wrist injury setbacks stopping her from playing this year. The Eagles have enjoyed their best start to a season under new coach and AFLW star Daisy Pearce, but the 23-year-old is yet to feature in any of their games. The Royals product was ruled out of the Eagles’ first three matches of the season after dealing with concussion symptoms sustained during the preseason. However, on Monday the club confirmed McDonald would spend more time on the sidelines. Eagles AFLW head of high performance Wes Salisbury said the key defender had passed through her concussion protocols before sustaining an untimely wrist injury at training. “Soph (McDonald) has progressed and passed through all of her concussion protocols and has been signed off on that front,” he said. “Sadly, she sustained a wrist injury while spoiling the ball in a training drill on Sunday, and we are awaiting MRI results to determine the damage.” The defender finished in the top five of the Eagles’ best-and-fairest count last year, and was nominated for the 2023 Wellington and Reeves Albany sportsperson of the year award.