Adelaide has confirmed that defender Tom Doedee has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and will undergo surgery in the coming days.
Doedee, 22, injured his knee during the second quarter of the Crows’ Round 1 loss to Hawthorn at the Adelaide Oval yesterday.
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"Like (Alex) Rance said the other night, I’m similar here. I’ve got a great club, a great culture and a great supportive family and a beautiful partner who will help me out," he told afc.com.au.
"In terms of the recovery and stuff, if the worst is to be, it’s just an injury.
"There’s a lot more to life than football and as much as I would love to be playing every game, I think we’ve got something special brewing here."
Adelaide Head of Football Brett Burton is confident Doedee can make a successful return in 2020.
"Tom is an outstanding young man and a valuable contributor to our team," Burton said.
"He is the ultimate professional and no doubt the way he will tackle his rehabilitation to prepare for the 2020 season will be no different.
"We will continue to support Tom and provide him with everything he needs."
It’s a bitter blow for Adelaide and for Doedee, who came second in last year’s Rising Star award after a breakout 2018 season.