Gold Coast ruckman Zac Smith is the latest player to have his season cut short as part of a plague of serious knee injuries that has swept the AFL.
The Suns announced on Monday that the 23-year-old will need a reconstruction after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee during Saturday’s win over the Western Bulldogs.
Smith hurt his knee in an innocuous incident during the first term, had his knee strapped and returned to the game.
But he was subbed out at halftime and scans have confirmed the extent of the damage.
“It’s shattering news for the big fella, he’s been a real key for us, and he has been ever since he started his AFL career,” Suns coach Guy McKenna told SEN.
“Bittersweet if you like, after the good win on the weekend.
“It was a full credit to him to want to soldier on and keep going, but (at) halftime we certainly erred on the side of caution and obviously the scan today proved the doctor right.”
Smith has played 44 matches since the Suns made their debut two seasons ago and is a major talent.
Fellow ruckman Charlie Dixon will probably undergo a fitness test ahead of Sunday’s MCG clash against Hawthorn as he recovers from an ankle injury.
Starting with Bulldog Daniel Markworth, who damaged his ACL last December, Smith is the 16th player to suffer a serious knee injury over the summer or in the opening eight rounds.
Of those, 15 have been ACL ruptures and Richmond’s Chris Knights damaged the patella tendon.
Geelong’s Daniel Menzel will soon undergo his fourth “reco” after suffering another knee injury while returning through the VFL.
There were 16 ACL injuries in total through the AFL clubs last season.
While this season is shaping as particularly bad for the ACL tear – one of the game’s most-dreaded injuries – history strongly suggests the bad run will taper off in winter.
ACL ruptures are typically most prevalent through the pre-season and in the early rounds when the weather is still warm.
AFL medical officer Dr John Orchard has previously said he is “very confident” the total will not reach 30 by the end of the season.
The most ACL injuries in a season for the past decade was 20 two years ago.
Orchard has said that is still down on the mid to late-90s, when there were regularly more than 20 per season.
He also said in an interview on SEN earlier this month that there was a large of range of factors that influenced ACL injuries.
Richard
Guest
Seriously, is this a freak year for injuries or a sign that the speed of the game and the sheer physicality and endurance needed has found it's tipping point? I am worried that I might do an ACL just walking to the MCG to watch a game!!
Dean
Guest
What about looking for a correlation between knee injuries and hard ankle strapping? When there's less give in the ankle, there has to be give somewhere else in the system. When I was of TAC age, I went to a few tryouts and everyone had to strap their ankles. I don't know if that's still the case at TAC or AFL level, but it can't be helpful to the knee being the only joint with any give in it. I'd rather a player did an ankle once a year than did a knee every third year (if they were susceptible).
vocans
Guest
It appears there's not much can be done about halting injuries to knees in footy, particularly in the body contact sports, like AFL, Rugby and League. I suspect numbers will be on the way up. Bigger players going at increasing speed for the ball and each other are at increased risk. The bigger and faster they are the harder they fall, and the more force goes through vulnerable joints, of which the knee is probably the most vulnerable. It will take some pretty lateral thinking to change this trajectory. This is one case where changing the rules will not help, thank God. Everyone who plays the game, but particularly at elite level, knows that injury is part and parcel of the sport. It could be argued that many of the players are not really conscious of this, and particularly of later life health issues, due mostly to their youth. But, it remains that no player is going to pull back from footy for fear of injury (perhaps only after repeated injury has spoken loud and clear in their ear). Some things in life can't be turned away from without lasting regrets. We don't tell scientists to pull back from their research because the time they spend at it is injuring the rest of their life, but that is often the case. We know that answering your call costs somewhere. Things can be done to lessen that cost, but cost it will. That is another reason we stick to footy - it is just like life played out right there in front of us at high emotion, and with real conviction and real consequences.