'I thought my career was over - I felt like punching a wall'

Cardwell has 71 England caps, having made her debut in 2022

"My netball career is over."

That was England shooter Eleanor Cardwell's immediate thought when surgery failed on a significant knee injury.

The 31-year-old was recovering well from having snapped one meniscus and suffered a full root detachment of her lateral meniscus during a three-match series against Australia in October 2024.

But her first contact training session since the knee was repaired ended with another setback. As she leapt for the ball, Cardwell felt the cartilage again.

"Straight away I knew. I was like, 'That's it, it's gone'," she said.

"After the first surgery, my surgeon did tell me 'If you do it again, you won't ever be able to play netball again because we won't be able to fix it'.

"So after that, I went into panic mode - thinking the worst, thinking 'That's it, I'm going to have to retire from netball'."

Cardwell has won four Netball Super League (NSL) titles with Manchester Thunder and one Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) title in Australia with Adelaide Thunderbirds, as well as claiming a silver medal at the World Cup with England.

That stellar career seemed poised to come to a premature end, but Cardwell was not prepared to go out without a fight.

Seven months on from that low, she is back in the England squad as they take on New Zealand in a three-match series that begins on Saturday.

'Hardest part of my netball career to date'

Cardwell has 71 England caps and has been a mainstay in a Roses team packed with attacking talent since her debut in 2022.

Having enjoyed success with Thunder and Thunderbirds, Cardwell moved to new franchise Melbourne Mavericks in 2024 to play under former England boss Tracey Neville, helping them to fifth place in their inaugural season.

It was while training with some of her Australian team-mates that Cardwell noticed her knee was feeling "grumpy", and she was "struggling to walk" after sessions.

Scans showed a slight meniscus tear, a common netball injury, but Cardwell was advised to keep playing.

But when she was barely able to get through the opening quarter of England's first match against Australia she knew something was seriously wrong.

"I was basically playing off one leg," she said.

"My knee kept locking, I was in a lot of pain. I was like, 'What am I doing here? Get me off this court'."

Further scans revealed the more severe diagnosis, leading to a six-month recovery, which went smoothly until that first training session.

Cardwell (left) was named player of the match in the 2023 Grand Final when Adelaide Thunderbirds won the title

"I just thought, 'I'm not finished, I don't feel like I'm finished, but my netball career is over'. I felt like punching a wall - I was really, really angry, I was in tears," she said.

"There were some pretty dark days. I felt pretty alone in Australia, away from my family and friends.

"I remember going home and ringing my partner Tom, and it was 2am in the UK.

"He was panicking and I'm in floods of tears. That was probably the hardest point in my netball career to date."

Fortunately, despite previous forecasts, the damage to Cardwell's knee was fixable, but more surgery and recovery time was required.

Cardwell credits Mavericks team-mate Maisie Nankivell for "dragging" her through those tough days. Enlisting a psychologist eased the mental load, and Cardwell found a passion for weight training and running.

But the process took a toll and Cardwell decided to return home to England, rejoining Thunder.

Cardwell back with Thunder 'family' but 'not finished' in Oz

Cardwell's return to the NSL for the 2026 season was a standout announcement in the recent transfer window.

Having felt isolated at times in Australia while rehabbing, the move made sense.

"The loneliness, I think that overwhelmed me. I've never felt so lonely before. I was very happy to get on that plane and come home," she said.

Aside from a stint with Severn Stars in 2017, Blackpool-born Cardwell's entire NSL career has been spent with Thunder - who she calls "family" - but there is unfinished business in Australia.

"I wouldn't say I'm finished in the SSN. I feel like it's a bittersweet ending to it all," she said. "I felt like I did have more to give."

Cardwell felt a tinge of letting others down by leaving Australia, before figuring that personal happiness was paramount - even for bringing out her best netball.

Being back with England is where Cardwell feels most settled.

After the Silver Ferns series, there are matches against Jamaica in December, and next year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

For now, Cardwell intends to show she deserves her place in England's highly competitive shooting end.

"I'm really hoping my time will come," she said. "If it does, I'll look forward to it and cherish that because I know the journey that I've come on to be able to get out there on court."