Brisbane Lions recruit Tom Doedee has cruelly injured the ACL in his right knee.
The former Adelaide defender, who ruptured the ACL in the same knee last year, was preparing for his Lions debut when he partially tore the ligament at training.
Doedee, 27, sustained the injury innocuously in the final minutes of training on Tuesday.
He will now meet with his surgeon to work out how serious the injury is and whether or not more surgery will be required.
“It’s incredibly heartbreaking for Tom, and everyone at the club are really feeling for him,” Lions General Manager of Football Danny Daly said.
“Sport can produce some of the most amazing moments, but in cases like this it can also be extremely cruel.
“Tom is a fantastic person who has already become a highly popular member of our club, and everyone was excited to see him so close to making his comeback.
“He has shown he is the ultimate professional by doing everything he could to recover from his ACL, which we have all admired, and I have no doubt he will treat this injury the same.
“Everyone at the Brisbane Lions will continue to give our full support to Tom and his family.”
Brisbane co-captain Lachie Neale was devastated for Doedee who was pushing for a Lions debut against Collingwood on Thursday night.
“It’s horrible news for the footy club, but more so for Tom and his family,” Neale said on SEN Breakfast.
“He’s worked so hard to put himself in this position to be right to go for tomorrow night and it sort of came crashing down.
“I didn’t know he’d done it until Tuesday night. It looked pretty innocuous. I spoke to him after training and he said he was a little bit sore. He went and had some scans and the results weren’t great.
“We’re all really feeling for him. He’s a great character though, and he’ll bounce back. He’s a wonderful person to have around the club.”
The key defender ruptured his ACL against Gold Coast on June 3 last year.
Doedee joined the Lions from the Crows in the off-season as a free agent. He was drafted in 2015, debuted in 2018 and played 82 games for Adelaide.