Arabic version: غياب ميا كينغ بعد جراحة دمج فقرات العمود الفقري

According to ABC News, North Melbourne midfielder Mia King will miss the remainder of the 2026 AFLW season after undergoing spinal fusion surgery for a neck injury. The Kangaroos confirmed the successful procedure fused the C5 and C6 vertebrae in her neck.

King reported neck pain after North Melbourne’s win over the Brisbane Lions last weekend. A thorough medical examination in Brisbane found a disc injury near her spinal cord, and she remains in Queensland while recovering from surgery.

Club doctor Victoria Norbury said the team would continue to monitor King’s recovery, but does not expect the operation to prevent her return to playing in 2027. King was part of North Melbourne’s 2024 premiership-winning side, though an ongoing PCL knee injury kept her out of last year’s grand final win.

North Melbourne is top of the AFLW ladder after two rounds, holding the competition’s best percentage. General manager of women’s football Erin Lorenzini said the club would support King, who had been particularly looking forward to wearing the Indigenous Round jumper in Launceston. The Kangaroos will face the Bulldogs on Saturday.