Luckless Richmond big man Sam Naismith will await scans for what appears to be another serious knee injury.
The AFL journeyman collapsed onto the ground in an innocuous no-contact incident during Richmond’s VFL clash with Sandringham on Sunday.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Luckless Richmond ruck goes down with suspected knee injury.
Stream analysis, local footy and the biggest moments free on 7plus
He cut a dejected figure as he was helped from the ground in the hands of trainers.
Naismith played 30 games in an injury-riddled stint with Sydney between 2014-2022, eventually delisted because he couldn’t get his body right.
He underwent three knee reconstructions for ACL injuries at the Swans.
The cult hero went back to the VFL in 2023 and earned an AFL lifeline with the Tigers for 2024 in one of the more heartening stories of the off-season.
The 31-year-old played the Tigers’ AFL season-opener in the absence of skipper and No.1 ruck Toby Nankervis, and paired with him in a two-pronged attack in rounds seven and eight.
But he is staring down the barrel of potentially another 12 months on the sidelines after a suspected ACL injury on Sunday.
“He seems extremely frustrated and you know when a player is like that and has experienced these types of injuries before, particularly around the knee area, they know when it happens,” Channel 7 VFL commentator Libby Birch said.
“It was that big step; no contact, innocuous injury, which usually means an ACL-type of injury.
“Hopefully, fingers crossed it’s not, but usually in those big change of direction movements, that’s when it happens.”
Jason Bennett said the footy world would be praying for Naismith.
“That is just crushing if it is the case (that he has ruptured his ACL),” Bennett said.
“Our fingers are crossed, everything crossed, for Sam Naismith. But he is a disconsolate man right now as he walks the boundary line.”
7AFL producer Paddy Grindlay said it looked terrible.
“Sam Naismith looks as if he’s hurt his knee in the VFL. Awful, awful, awful,” he said.