How Blues youngster went from hospital to wildcard win
From a nightmare stint in hospital to living out his AFL dream on the finals stage, Carlton youngster Cooper Lord is riding the wave of a "crazy" 2026 journey.
It was in April when the 21-year-old was forced to watch the Blues suffer a round-three defeat to Melbourne from hospital after undergoing surgery for a severe infection in his leg.
Lord was battling a staph infection, which had spread from an open wound on his knee to other parts of his body.
He made his return in round seven against Fremantle, but the midfielder couldn't retain his spot.
Playing 21 games in 2025, Lord this year was forced to work on his craft in the VFL as the Blues underwent a remarkable transformation under Josh Fraser en route to a wildcard spot.
The 2024 mid-season draft pick's opportunity finally came in round 19 and when Carlton faced off against Melbourne again, Lord made sure he was part of the squad.
In the wildcard clash against the Demons, Lord played a crucial role in the 19-point comeback win by keeping superstar Kysaiah Pickett to just three behinds from 19 touches.
"I remember the night before surgery, I was watching the Melbourne game earlier in the year just from a hospital bed," Lord said.
"To be out there on the biggest of stages in finals is something you dream of as a kid, so it's pretty special to be doing it.
"It was challenging mentally, but I think coming out of it, it made me a better player."
Carlton will hope to continue their fairytale run when they face last year's grand finalist Geelong in an elimination final at the MCG.
Becoming something of a utility at the Blues, Lord wouldn't lift the lid on whether he'll be deployed as a tag against Geelong's star-studded midfield.
"We'll flesh that out throughout the week, but whatever role the coach gives me, I'll be happy to do," Lord said.
"In the midfield is where I play my best football, but over this year and last year I've had to learn to play other roles as well with such an amazing midfield that we've got at the moment.
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