Poleaxed along the boundary line in an ugly incident that would have most players seeing stars, the tenacious forward picked herself up and soldiered on completely unfazed.
Moments later, the South Australian recruit ruptured her ACL, but kept the injury quiet post-match as the Saints revelled in the emotion of their first game.
While the SANFL Women’s Team of the Year captain was subsequently ruled out for the season, the impact she left is set to last long into the upcoming season.
Von Bertouch commenced running four months post-op after overcoming a series of hamstring issues, with her sights firmly set on a 2021 berth.
Student in Youth Work and Sports Management at Victoria University, AFLW Coach at Mentone Grammar School (part-time), Marketing & Communications Manager at Outside the Locker Room