INJURED Newcastle W-League Jets midfielder Sammie Wood has been cleared of a fractured skull but may still require surgery to repair her crushed sinus.
The 17-year-old was released from Orange Base Hospital yesterday and returned to her family home at Grenfell, in western NSW.
Wood had her nose crushed on Friday when her knee smashed into her face while she was waterskiing on Wyangala Dam, near Cowra.
Fluid from Wood's brain is still leaking out of her nose and she cannot smell or taste.
"I went to McDonalds and I could eat, but I couldn't taste it," Wood said.
"They don't know if it'll come back. They're hoping, but they can't really tell.
"I can't breathe through my nose because it's all blocked up, so hopefully once it clears I'll get my smell back."
Wood had a MRI scan yesterday at Orange which cleared her of any permanent damage to her skull.
"The scan came back normal, I'd just smashed all my sinuses and they think the brain fluid is coming from my sinuses," she said.
"I was going to be transferred to Nepean Hospital, but because it came back normal everything is on hold and I have to go back to a surgeon in two weeks.
"If it hasn't cleared, they'll have to open my nose up."
The injury has ruled Wood out of Saturday's W-League semi-final against Canberra United at EnergyAustralia Stadium and a possible grand final the following weekend.
"I'd love to be able to make it to watch, I'll just see how I feel," Wood said.
Her teammates have flooded Wood with text messages in the past two days.
"I've gotten heaps [of messages], they've been very supportive," Wood said.
"I'm so glad I'm in with a nice bunch of girls, and the coach [Gary Phillips] has been non-stop ringing and it just shows how much they're friends with me."
Wood has been living with her cousin at Rankin Park since moving to Newcastle in August and has been attending Hunter River High School at Raymond Terrace. She now intends to move back to Grenfell to finish year 12.
"I'm going to come home and take a break, because I'm in year 12 now, and just concentrate on school," she said.
"Now the first year of the W-League is over for me I can always come back to soccer."
Meanwhile, the Jets will be keen to see striker Kate Gill at her goal-scoring best on Saturday.
Gill's six goals for the season left her equal-second on the leading goalscorer list.
A third of those goals came in round one against Canberra at Wanderers Oval.
The Novocastrian has played 52 matches for the Matildas, the most recent against Japan in July.
Matildas coach Tom Sermanni will be in the stands at EAS and Gill's performance will be closely monitored for Australia's home matches against Italy in February.
"I'd like to say I've done enough, but only time will tell," she said.
Gill thought the Jets' sparkling W-League form had been a big boost for her national aspirations.
"We're playing week-in, week-out and he's looking for players and that's going to help us," she said.