Star signing shines on debut for new club after 18-month injury battle

The league tag star made her return to the footy field at the Western Challenge at Canowindra on Sunday (March 9), 18 months on from her torn ACL while playing for Western Rams in 2023.

She wasn't sporting the blue and white of Bathurst St Pat's however, having made the switch to Forbes Magpies along with partner Hayden Bolam.

She didn't have to wait long to run into her old team with Forbes defeating Saints in the final 8-4.

Naden, who was named player of the tournament, said it was a relief to finally get back onto the field.

"I was a little bit nervous at the start but once I got into that first game, I felt really good and it was good to be back out there," she said.

"It was such a long 12 months.

"I was doing all my physio and things and just focusing on strengthening my quads and then obviously got back into running, slowly, and then I did a bit of agility to get back to stepping because obviously that's a massive part of my game.

"I started back at contact early this year with my AFL, and it felt pretty fine.

"So once I strengthened all of my muscles around my knee, I got my confidence back."

Naden's move to Spooner Oval is one of the biggest in the Western Division.

A perennial winner, her last game in the competition came in the 2023 grand final as St Pat's defeated Dubbo Macquarie Raiders.

The Orange product has also won the Group 10 league tag player of the year award on two occasions.

She said she was keen to give herself a fresh challenge with Saints winning five titles in a row from 2017 to 2023.

"My partner is from there and he decided to go back," she explained.

"So I thought that I would follow and I just wanted a little bit of a challenge, because Pat's are so successful I just wanted to go try a different team, seeing that I've ticked off all the boxes with Pat's.

"The club [Forbes] is really good," she continued.

"We train with the boys on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so it's just a really good club I reckon."

Rugby league won't be the only sport Naden is making a comeback in either with the flyer joining back up with AFL Sydney team East Coast Eagles.

The former Orange Tiger won a flag with the Eagles in 2023 and will be hitting the road again.

"They were pretty supportive of me coming back up there as well, they got in contact and were checking in to see if I was coming back," she said.

"We have a trial game this weekend and then our season starts at the end of this month.

"It's a fair bit of travelling, but it's definitely all worth it."