Leah Middleton is back on court for LexisNexis Dragons this season
Leah Middleton is so far removed from her horror injury that she barely believes it happened to her.
Last March, the 30-year-old suffered a compound ankle dislocation that saw the postponement of LexisNexis Dragons’ clash against Birmingham Panthers and threatened to be career-ending.
She eventually made her return eight months after the injury and is now using a dual focus of a Super League return and a debut Commonwealth Games for Wales as motivation.
“In the early days, just because nobody could tell me whether or not I would be ok, I probably didn’t quite give it the credit that it was due in how bad it actually was,” the Berkshire-born defender said.
“I think I was a little bit oblivious, probably masked by adrenaline and a fair amount of pain drugs.
“It was so tough and it felt like I was going to sit in that space forever, but now I look back and I can’t believe how quickly it’s come round. It nearly feels like I’m not even speaking about me anymore.
“Mentally, I just had an end vision to play in the Super League and go to the Commonwealth Games at the end of this season.
“I was just laser focused on that the whole way through. When I got back to coming and contesting on court, it was a little bit rocky sometimes.
“But now it honestly feels like that story doesn’t even belong to me. It nearly feels like a completely new chapter, I’m just so excited to get going.”
Middleton moved to Australia as a child and that was where she first took up netball before returning to the UK to play for Surrey Storm in 2020.
She joined the Cardiff-based Dragons in 2024, impressing in her debut season, but her second act was cruelly cut short.
Having come back to play for the Welsh Feathers, a return to the Super League in Dragons’ first game against Loughborough Lighting on 28 February is another step on the path to the end goal.
She added: “I remember the first thing I said on the court after the injury. I hadn’t even left the court yet and I said ‘ill I be ok for Commonwealth Games’?
“Obviously everyone is gearing up for that and it is the start of the massive cycle, that was the biggest thing in my head, how quickly can I come back from this?
“Initially the prognosis wasn’t great, it was really questioned whether I would ever play again, let alone whether I would make it back for Commonwealth Games or even for the Super League starting.
“I need to be playing at the top to be in contention for that, so it was important for me that I got myself in a position that I could be playing Super League again.
“I am so extremely lucky, I have had some really good people in my corner, they’ve backed me. I have been backed by my club and my country, and I just feel really thankful how that, combined with a bit of resilience, has paid off.”
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