Port Adelaide forward Sam Powell-Pepper has heartbreakingly suffered an ACL tear during their 10-point win over St Kilda on Friday night.
He will miss the remainder of the 2024 season with the injury, after scans revealed the worst outcome on Saturday morning.
It was an innocuous incident that saw Powell-Pepper go down in the third term after attempting to jump and mark a ball in the Power's forward 50.
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He fell to the ground and grabbed his knee in agony, before being helped off by trainers.
After being assessed for a few minutes on the bench, Powell-Pepper was ruled out and put on ice for the rest of the game.
Port Adelaide medico Tom O'Leary confirmed the devastating news.
"We are incredibly disappointed for Sam," O'Leary said in a club statement on Saturday.
"Sam is a dedicated and diligent athlete who attacks his training with unrelenting intensity, and will no doubt approach his rehab the same way.
"He will continue to be as involved as he can, as a leader and important member of our playing group.
O'Leary noted that Powell-Pepper will head in for surgery in the coming days.
"It's such a tough injury for a footballer to go through. We're all behind him and we know he'll come out the other side stronger and more determined," he said.
It was only Powell-Pepper's second game back this season, after being ruled out for the first four weeks of the Power's season for a dangerous bump.
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Powell-Pepper was referred straight to the AFL tribunal after his shoulder collided with the head of Adelaide player Mark Keane during a pre-season game in February on the eve of the season proper.
Meantime, Port skipper Connor Rozee has also suffered a low grade hamstring strain in their win.
He is in doubt for their showdown clash against Adelaide in round seven.
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