Larissa Crummer: "I'm still here. I'm still working hard to get back out there."

After sustaining a shocking broken leg in January 2019, five surgeries later, Westfield Matilda Larissa Crummer is determinedly taking her first steps towards returning to football. 

It was a run Larissa Crummer has made hundreds of times in her career. 

The Newcastle Jets forward looked to latch onto a ball played into space between the Adelaide United defensive line and their goalkeeper.  

It was contact that has happened thousands of times in football, but this time it was different. 

“It’s a bit of blur now,” Crummer told matildas.com.au.  

“I just remember running after the ball and then hearing a big snap.”

“I just went into shock. I couldn't speak to anyone. I could barely breathe.  I just laid on the ground, grabbing my leg and just screaming.”

“I remember [Emma] Checker and Michelle [Heyman] running straight over and just telling me everything is going to be okay.”

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Devastatingly for Crummer, in that moment, everything was not okay.  The collision had resulted in breaks in the tibia and fibula bones in her left leg. 

“I wouldn't wish this upon my worst enemy. It was absolutely the worst.  That pain meter was through the roof.” 

“The surgeon said that the break I had was equivalent to a break in a motorcycle accident.”

Crummer Broken Leg
X-ray of the breaks in Crummer's left leg

Almost immediately Crummer was in surgery to insert a rod into the shattered bones.  While for most people this would be the start of the healing process, unfortunately for the 24-year-old it would begin a 14 month process she describes as a “nightmare”. 

“I was told it was nine to 12 months, but then I had all these complications. I got Compartment Syndrome when they were putting the rod in during the first surgery.” 

“The surgeon said if they don’t catch it within 24 hours you can actually lose your leg.  So I went under [anesthesia] thinking I was just getting a rod put in my leg and woke up with cuts on both sides of my leg.” 

“The cuts were 24 stitches and I was in hospital for so long because they couldn’t close the sides of my leg with the swelling.”

It was a rare complication that Crummer was told only occurred in 1 in 8 people.  The result was that she would require three more surgeries to try and combat the syndrome. 

“I remember going under and just telling him, make sure my leg’s here when I wake up. That's all I cared about.”

The goal after the first surgery was to get back to football but with each subsequent surgery, including a fifth surgery following bone infections from the rod, Crummer’s priorities began to slowly shift. 

“My goals have definitely changed.  Of course I want to get back to football but at the moment I want to start running.  Running pain free is my next goal before anything else.”


Managing pain and constant rehabilitation has become part of Larissa Crummer’s life.  It is a vastly different reality for the two time Westfield W-League Champion, Golden Boot winner, Olympian and FIFA Women’s World Cup participant. 

“It’s not something I ever thought I would have to do.  Getting up and out of bed in the morning, the first few steps I sort of struggle a little bit and it takes me a little bit to get going. But then I’m alright.”

“It’s something that I guess an athlete just has to overcome and we move on.”

They say that adversity doesn’t create character, it reveals it.  Since coming onto the national stage as a 16 year old, it has always been apparent that the Queenslander is a tough character, one that is happy to take on a challenge. 

“I've heard that from a few people now,” she laughed.  

“They have sort of said that with an injury like that, I'm the best person to have it, if that makes sense.”

“I will do whatever I can to get myself back out there. I just won’t give up.  I have a goal and I want to eventually get back to football.”

Along the way she has also found time to appreciate those closest to her - from her football and non-football friends, to her older sister and brother and especially her parents. 

“Mum and Dad have pretty much been there every step of the way.  If anything is wrong, or I just want to talk to them about it.”

“Dad's always pushing me to get back out there. He loves watching me play and so does Mum so I guess they want me back out there as much as I do."

“I also can't speak highly enough of the Newcastle Jets.” 

“Lawrie [McKinna] and Deansy [Craig Deans] have been amazing through the whole thing. I've gone to the club office in Newcastle and Lawrie would run out and check how I am going and have a good chinwag."

“Deansy is always ringing me and asking how I'm going. It's actually been really nice to have support like that from a club.”

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After the initial push to get back to the park, Larissa Crummer is more comfortable with the realisation that her recovery will be taking a little longer than anticipated – although even that acknowledgement has taken a while to come.  

“I think it wasn't until recently to be honest.  I think I only just sort of started processing it.”

“In those early days, I struggled big time. There were a few days over the World Cup period where I didn't even want to get out of bed. I just didn’t want to do anything.”

I have overcome all that sadness that I had.  I am here and I am a lot happier within myself.  I think I've found myself a lot as well during this time period. I have found out how strong I am.” 

An indication of how far Crummer has come from the early days is a quick decision to head down to Newcastle to watch her Westfield Matildas teammates aim to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. 

Four years ago the forward was part of the Westfield Matildas Rio 2016 Olympics campaign.  While this time she was on the sideline, Crummer was no less excited to watch her teammates cruise to a first leg victory. 

Crummer in Newcastle
Crummer supporting Matildas teammates in Newcastle

While older and a little more battle hardened, Larissa Crummer has arrived at the other side of the most challenging time in her career and she is not only still standing, but ready to face the next phase head on. 

“I guess I just wanted to let people know that I'm well.  I'm still working hard to get back to what I want to do, which is play football.”

“Hopefully I can play another World Cup and another Olympics if I can get myself back to fitness.” 

“I'm still here. I'm still working hard to get back out there.”

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