West Coast Eagles have been dealt a massive blow after key playmaker Jack Darling was floored in the opening ten minutes against Melbourne.
The forward's head smacked against the hard turf as he was rolled in a tackle by Oscar McDonald, sustaining a concussion.
Darling lay spread out across the Optus Stadium ground for over half a minute before medical staff came to his aid.
Watch the incident in the video player below:
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The physios assisted the 26-year-old as he jogged from the field for medical assessment.
Darling did not reappear for the second quarter and was subsequently ruled out for the rest of the game.
Jack Darling jogged off with the assistance of trainers after this tackle.#AFLEaglesDees pic.twitter.com/hN4OA1cfI6
— AFL (@AFL) August 19, 2018
Darling's vacancy moved Jeremy McGovern forward to support the Eagles' ruckman Nathan Vardy.
McGovern previously filled this role earlier this year when Darling and spearhead Josh Kennedy were sidelined with injuries.
The utility cemented the Eagles' crucial win over Port Adelaide last week, kicking the winning goal for a 62-58 victory.
Melbourne took out the match defeating West Coast 108-91, guaranteeing their first finals campaign in 12 years.