Melbourne have confirmed star defender Jake Lever suffered a left anterior cruciate ligament rupture in the first quarter of their clash with Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Lever's left leg appeared to buckle under him as he trailed Marcus Bontempelli on a lead.
He came from the ground and didn't return for the rest of the match.
Jake Lever has been ruled out for the rest of the game, with what looks to be a left knee injury.#AFLDogsDees #RaiseHell
— Melbourne FC (@melbournefc) June 2, 2018
There was some concern from commentators that it was the same knee he had a reconstruction on in 2013 which kept him out for the entirety of his under 18 season.
Check out the incident below.
Jake Lever left the field and went down to the rooms after this moment in the first quarter.#AFLDogsDees pic.twitter.com/irUjFM5CV2
— AFL (@AFL) June 2, 2018
While Lever's absence didn't hurt his team as they thumped the Dogs by 49 points for their sixth straight win, a potential season-ending injury to a key player left a sour note on the day.
He was sent for scans immediately after the match.
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Dees coach Simon Goodwin said in the post-match press conference that the club's medicos suspected an ACL tear.
Goodwin on Lever: Jake hurt his knee - it’s a suspected ACL. That’s disappointing for him and the club. It’s suspected at the moment, but at this stage it’s not looking great.
— Melbourne FC (@melbournefc) June 2, 2018
However, Sunday's announcement confirmed the former Crow has been ruled out for the rest of the year in a bitter blow for Melbourne's premiership aspirations in 2018.
Scans have confirmed the suspected.
— Melbourne FC (@melbournefc) June 3, 2018
Jake Lever will miss the remainder of the 2018 AFL season after rupturing his left ACL yesterday.
📝: https://t.co/sPZ8tWlIgU pic.twitter.com/07c1nt63Ty
Demons general manager of football operations Josh Mahoney said it was a massive disappointment to lose Lever for the remainder of the year.
"It is disappointing news that Jake will miss the rest of the 2018 season," Mahoney said in a club statement.
"After finding his feet early on, Jake has displayed the type of form we recruited him for - he has been an integral part of our team’s recent winning form.
"Although we will be without Jake for the rest of the season, his absence creates an opportunity for another defender to come in to the team. We look forward to Jake returning fully fit for our 2019 season."
Saturday's win improved Melbourne's record to 8-3 for the season, lifting them to third on the ladder.
