Rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament is devastating enough, let alone doing it with four minutes to go in the last quarter of a grand final.

But that was the reality for Lavington goal attack Skye Hillier, who after 18 months of hard work and rehabilitation made her debut back onto the court last weekend.

Hillier played a half for the Panthers in their season opening win against North Albury.

"It was nice to get that 30 minutes out of the way," Hillier said.

"I was nervous but it was also exciting."

It was the worst sports injury Hillier has faced, having previously had no knee issues.

Hillier said despite the severity of her injury, she was always determined to get back out on the court.

"I was pretty determined from the get go," Hillier said.

"My injury was a little bit more severe than a traditional snap of the ACL, I had quite a bit of damage, so I knew it was going to be hard.

"I had 18-months of rehab and you're still kind of doing rehab for another 12-months to two years to make sure you don't redo it.

"You have all of those external motivators, you want to be a part of the team and success, so that's always motivating.

"It was hard probably this time last year when the girls started playing and I wasn't even able to run.

"As the year goes on you sort of deal with it."

Hillier maintained involvement with the Panthers in her year off, coaching the club's C-grade netball side and sitting on the bench for A-grade.

"I think that's probably what made the 12-months easier, just having a role on game day," she said.

"It was nice to give back to the club.

"We all go and play but sometimes we forget to do our bit for the club.

"I took 12-months off netball when I went to Perth with Adam (Prior).

"It's very different when you choose not to play for 12-months to when you're forced not to play.

"You don't miss it when you choose not to play, but when you're forced you'd do anything to get out there."

Now with her first game back under her belt, Hillier is looking forward to seeing what the Panthers can produce this season with their new look side.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what the group can do," she said.

"We've got a couple of girls back to the club and some new ones, so it's nice to come into a new mix.

"It's nice not having a target on our back.

"I feel like we're probably hunting, not the hunted, which is nice."

The Panthers look to secure their second win when they face Wodonga this weekend for the Bulldogs first game of the season.