Hawthorn’s James Sicily has suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
The club confirmed the terrible news after the star defender underwent scans on Monday morning after twisting his knee awkwardly late in the Hawks’ loss to West Coast on Sunday night.
Sicily, 25, is expected to be sidelined for 12 months.
“This is obviously devastating for Sis, his teammates and the wider Hawthorn family,” General Manager of Football Graham Wright told hawthornfc.com.au.
“He has developed into a leader both on and off field over the last few years, and was having an excellent year personally this season.
“He is a man of great resilience though and we have full faith he will be diligent in his recovery over the next 12 months.”
Sicily has been mooted as one of a couple of potential choices for Hawthorn’s captaincy if they opt to relieve Ben Stratton of the duties after this season.
He has played 93 games for the Hawks after debuting in the brown and gold in 2015.