"Why has it happened?"
There aren't many on the SVNS World Series that have dealt with the brutal injury run of Demi Kennewell (née Hayes). Yet, the former Australian captain is embracing the triumphs over tribulations on her return to the gold jersey with a new name on her back.
Watch every match of this week's Vancouver SVNS live and on-demand, exclusively on Stan Sport.
Kennewell returns after a brutal run of injuries for this weekend's fifth leg of the series in Vancouver, almost nine months on from an ACL injury in the Los Angeles Final.
The LA event was the 27-year-old's first appearance since a hand injury, having missed the 2024 Olympics due to an ACL injury in the other knee.
"It was pretty awful to be honest," she told Rugby.com.au. “I think that was only my third tournament back from my other knee so I think just all the emotions of what the process of rehabbing a knee is came back pretty much immediately.
“I was stuck in a tackle, and I got tackled sideways where someone was diving at my knee, and I couldn't necessarily move, so it's a bit of a freak one where my knee can't sustain that amount of contact from that angle.
“I didn't necessarily feel like my body let me down, but I felt really sad and disappointed, and I suppose all of the emotions considering I'd just worked so hard to get back from my knee, from my left knee.
It was just like, how has this happened? Why has it happened?
“It was about three minutes into my first game in LA and I'd broken my finger before that. So, I just felt like I was on a bit of a s*** run and I couldn't catch a break. I felt it was really hard to get through and understand why it happened and what I've got to overcome to get back onto the field again.”
Kennewell geared up for the long rehab journey but had her own special milestone to tick off along the way.
She married former Sevens player Simon in October, motivated by the first dance and the desire to fully enjoy the special day, which helped her through the dark times.
“When I spoke to our physio, KB [Kylie Baldwin], she said you'll get surgery, your rehab will look like this up until October, and you'll be up and running. We'll start changing direction so you can go dance on the dance floor and have the absolute best time of your wedding," Kennewell believes.
“That was a big milestone for me in my rehab, but also in my personal life and then I was able to have my wedding, go on my honeymoon, come back, and then integrate into the team training.
“Just the excitement and having something really exciting to look forward to and also not just for me, but myself, Simon, our families definitely made it a lot easier and a lot better and also knowing that my knee was good to go.”
Simon and the family will make the trip to Vancouver for Kennewell's return and her first tournament with the new name on the back.
“I actually think I'll be quite emotional, to be honest," she believes.
“I suppose it's something I could have only dreamt of regarding being in the program for this long, being able to experience getting engaged and married while still in the program and then now being able to play with Kennewell on the back.
“I think after I did this knee, I was probably a little bit doubtful of whether I would get back to being picked or playing well enough.
“...I do think it'll make me really emotional just being handed something we get to pass on to our kids and show them that we had. I got to play with Kennewell on the back of my jersey one day, but I also had Hayes for such a long part of my career."
