Fraser flying high with the Bombers

Within days she will be in a share house in Melbourne to start conditioning training ahead of pre-season in February and the 2027 VFLW competition.

But being able to take a step, any kind of step, is already a triumph over adversity for this gutsy 17-year-old St Joseph’s College student.

Because barely a year ago she was relearning how to walk – after major surgery to both legs.

She had compartment syndrome – which might sound medically innocuous but is in fact a sporting death warrant.

Compartment syndrome is a painful and potentially dangerous condition caused by a buildup of high pressure within an enclosed group of muscles (called a muscle compartment). For Eliza it was her calf muscles in both legs.

A ‘compartment’ contains muscles, nerves, and blood vessels wrapped in a tough, unyielding membrane of tissue called fascia.

Because fascia does not stretch easily, any sudden bleeding or severe swelling from an injury leaves nowhere for the extra volume to go. This high-pressure squeezes blood vessels, cutting off vital oxygen and nutrients to the muscles and nerves.

And, as in Eliza’s case, it stops you running, let alone jumping, and as it worsens can make routine walking a nightmare.

“I had a choice, do nothing and live a ‘normal’ life or try the surgery and play football – it wasn’t a tough choice,” Eliza explained.

Although, in the real world, it really was. All surgery is a risk, corrective surgery targeting athletes is an even bigger one because the expectations are always much higher.

It might have seemed a long way from Auskick to the operating theatre but that’s all fast fading into the background as Eliza packs her bags.

“I have been playing with Moama’s Youth Girls and two years ago made the Bendigo Pioneers Talent League, but I missed all last year because of my legs,” she said.

“When I came back this year, I also had a few issues with shin soreness and despite that, one of Essendon’s recruiters contacted me about my interest in taking the next step.

“I started 2026 with zero expectations and thought I would be happy wherever I landed but knew I was starting way behind the other girls.”

She might have known that, what she probably didn’t know was the coaches she worked with, and scouts watching, had identified something beyond her athletic ability.

Resilience.

One of the most prized traits in any competitor.

And Eliza has it in spades.

Although she never set foot on the field in 2025, the Bendigo Pioneers still nominated her for the team’s personal growth award – everyone has acknowledged her work ethic and her commitment.

Which is why she was invited for an interview of Brownlow Medal day and then got the phone call which might well change her life.

At Essendon the brains trust have told her they believe Eliza has just scratched the surface of her potential and she’s banking on that.

“What I have always liked about football is the challenges it has given me as a person, I love it all,” she said.

“But what this has done is made me deal with challenges as a person as well as a player. In football you learn to lose a lot, you can lose at training, at team selection and on the ground.

“I think I am a winner for just getting back on the ground, I think everything is possible, my mental development has been accelerated – it took me the better part of six months just to walk properly, to get my co-ordination right.

“Now I am healthy again, but I still have those vivid memories of the hospital, the pain and the rehab – and they and the scars on my legs will be there to remind me why I want this.”