Scans have today confirmed our worst fears, with Sydney Swans defender Alex Johnson suffering a sixth anterior cruciate ligament rupture - this time to his good knee.
The luckless defender suffered the injury late in the first quarter on Sunday against the Demons at the SCG, in what was his second AFL match after his inspirational comeback.
His right knee buckled underneath him when he tried to turn on the boundary, sending him sprawling across the grass, clutching at his leg as he tried to stand.
Sydney Swans Head of Football Tom Harley confirmed the scans revealed the 26-year-old's sixth rupture.
“Clearly this is a really disappointing outcome for Alex,” Harley said.
“Alex has worked so hard over the past six years to get back to playing football and for this to happen in his second game back is just shattering for him and for us.
“Alex has shown unbelievable resilience and determination over his career and will continue to be an inspiration to his teammates and the wider AFL community.
“As we saw after the injury on Sunday, Alex is the ultimate clubman and will be doing all he can to support his teammates from the sidelines for the remainder of the season."
As if news couldn't get any worse, 211-game veteran defender Nick Smith left the field late in the first quarter with what appeared to be a hamstring injury.
Scans yesterday revealed that Smith has suffered a hamstring tendon injury, with Harley confirming that Nick will miss up to six weeks, effectively ending his season.
"Nick's got a hamstring tendon injury, at this early stage it looks like six weeks for Nick which obviously makes the season challenging," Harley said.
"He had a scan yesterday, we'll gather all of the facts as to the next steps with Nick.
“Clearly it was disappointing he wasn't able to play any further part in the game on Sunday and it looks like he'll be having an extended period on the sidelines also."
| Gary Rohan | Hand | TBC |
| Heath Grundy | Personal reasons | TBC |
| Jack Maibaum | Knee | 3-4 Weeks |
| Harry Marsh | Hamstring | 2 Weeks |
| Lewis Melican | Hamstring | 4-5 Weeks |
| Sam Reid | Achilles | 2-3 Weeks |
| Alex Johnson (R) | Knee | Season |
| Matthew Ling | Toe | Season |
| Sam Naismith | Knee | Season |
| Callum Mills | Foot | Season |
| Kurt Tippett | Retired |
Sydney Swans Injury Update - AFL Injury List
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