Echuca’s Noah Long suffered the second serious knee of his short career at the weekend, being forced off the ground during a match simulation for West Coast against Fremantle.
The 21-year-old was caught awkwardly in a tackle from Karl Worner and immediately clutched at his left leg, with later scans revealing damage to multiple ligaments.
It will see the small forward miss the entirety of the season.
“Unfortunately, Noah sustained a serious injury to his knee in which multiple ligaments were damaged,” West Coast head of high performance Phil Merriman said.
“Although there is no damage to the cartilage, which is great for his long-term outcome, Noah will require surgery in the coming weeks once his knee has settled down.
“While it's incredibly disappointing for Noah and the club, we will wrap our arms around him and support him every step of the way through his rehabilitation.”
Long has endured a torrid run with injury ever since entering the top flight.
The Murray Bombers and Bendigo Pioneers product was taken by West Coast at pick 58 of the 2022 AFL National Draft and played five games for the Eagles the following season before hamstring troubles sidelined him for a number of weeks.
Long then suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2024 and was restricted to 10 games last year while recovering.
While he won’t feature for the Eagles this season, fellow GV products Harley Reid (Tongala), Jobe Shanahan (Moama) and Tom Cole (Seymour) will suit up for action against Gold Coast in round one on March 15.
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