The tough times of a footy mum

By Alison Zell

When Hawthorn defender Matt Suckling wrenched his knee, tearing his ACL, while trying to avoid a tackle in a NAB Cup game against Richmond at Aurora Stadium, the Hawks faithful were devastated.

But no one was more upset than Karen Suckling, at home in Wagga Wagga in southern NSW, as she watched her son realise his 2013 season was over.

“I cried, it was so horrible, I just wanted to be there for him,” she said.

“But the club was fantastic, they take such good care of him and then I became the nurse the cook after his operation.”

It wasn’t an easy path to the AFL for the 24-year-old, picked up by the Hawks in the 2007 Rookie Draft, Matt was hampered by injury and didn’t manage a senior game before he was delisted and then redrafted in the 2009 Rookie Draft.

But after a breakout season in 2011, Matt was one of a handful of Hawks to play every game in 2012, culminating in a close Grand Final loss to the Sydney Swans.

Karen said Matt making his debut in 2010 was one of her proudest moments.

“Seeing your boy run out onto the MCG for the first time after knowing how hard he had worked to get there was amazing,” she said.

Matt’s football dream took him a fair way away from his hometown of Wagga Wagga where he grew up playing for the Wagga Tigers, a move that was tough on Karen.

“I was really  excited  for him but I cried for about an hour once the plane took off,” she said.

“Matt was really lucky he lived with a really lovely Croatian family when he first moved down to Melbourne who were Hawks crazy which made me feel a little bit  more at ease but I still missed him like crazy.”

While Matt may not be able to play for the rest of this season as he completes rehabilitation on his injured knee, Karen could not be more proud of her son’s achievements.

“I’m no different to any other mum, it’s really nice to see your children live out their childhood dreams,” she said.