- Wingard credits his long-time partner for his career resurgence
- His goal is to return to football next month after a serious injury.
- He has also made a big announcement about his future with his partner.
Just eight months ago, Chad Wingard’s career was in jeopardy. Now, thanks to the support of his beloved partner, he has a new contract, is about to return to the AFL and is engaged to be married.
The injured Hawthorn star announced on social media on Friday that his long-term partner Lily Lloyd “said yes” when he romantically proposed to her in a Victorian wine cellar among vines.
His teammate Hawk Jarman Impey posted: ‘Congratulations!!! Sending our love
Hawthorn teammates Shaun Burgoyne, Connor MacDonald and Nick Watson also wished the pair well along with a host of AFL stars from other clubs.
AFL star Chad Wingard proposed to partner Lilly Lloyd in a romantic setting in a Victorian wine cellar.
The couple showed off Wingard’s ring and tattoo honoring Lilly Lloyd to their followers.
Wingard has credited Lilly Lloyd for giving him strength in his recovery from a serious leg injury.
Wingard is currently sidelined after rupturing his Achilles tendon last August, with his sights set on a Hawks return in May.
It was initially thought star Hawk could be sidelined for up to 12 months, prompting the club to temporarily remove the half-forward from the roster to manage their 2024 squad.
It was one of the most pivotal moments in the Hawks star’s career and when he was given a new contract for 2024, he credited Lilly Lloyd for her support.
“(She) helped me get through this,” he said.
‘She played a pivotal role in the first two to six weeks.
“I was in a cast and had to elevate my leg for 20 hours a day for the better part of two weeks.
“I didn’t really know how to cook, I was on two crutches and in a cast.
‘If I didn’t have someone to help me… just to say ‘everything is going to be okay, these are the steps we’re going to take, we’re going to go back’, I don’t know what I would have done.’
Wingard has been sidelined since August with an Achilles injury that threatened to end his AFL career.
The Hawks half-forward is back in training and is eyeing a return to football in May in the VFL.
Now the club’s medical staff have estimated he will return for rounds six or seven of the VFL season in the first half of May.
Wingard will then need to impress coach Sam Mitchell to force his way into the Hawks’ new forward line.
It was a terrifying injury for the Hawthorn star, who admitted this season that he thought retirement might have been his only option.
“As soon as the injury happened, my first thought was, ‘This could be it,'” he said.
“I didn’t want my last moment in the AFL to be getting injured five minutes into the game.”
However, Hawthorn director of football Robert McCartney quickly moved to assure Wingard that he would return.
“Rob, the Hawks’ general manager, told me right after, ‘Dude, we’re going to take care of you,'” Wingard says.
“It was pretty powerful, when you think it could be nine months, 12 months before I could play again.”