If you asked Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge what his worst-case scenario for his side's clash with Geelong would be, Friday night's events would have been his worst nightmare.
In a 75-point loss, generational talent Sam Darcy went down with what appears to be a serious knee injury (suspected ACL), while Tom Liberatore (concussion) and key defenders James O'Donnell and Rory Lobb (both hamstring injuries) also went down during the match.
Speaking after the game, Beveridge said a serious injury to the club's brightest talent had left an emotional mark on his players.
"It's been an obviously really traumatic night," he said.
"We had one (game) years ago, when we lost 'Mitchy' Wallis and Jack Redpath in one night, when the players were in a bit of trouble with that, with the trauma, and the Saints rattled home and beat us that night.
"It was a bit of contrast (against the Cats) for our players to be able to hold up when they knew that Sam went down with what could be a serious knee injury.
"One of the things I know in football and AFL, doesn't matter what level it is, is that there is a sensitivity and emotion when you lose teammates to serious injuries, and not knowing how serious any of those are, the players will be concerned about it.
"We will need to make sure by the time we get to the game on Thursday night that we have been able to process that, accept that it has happened and spin ourselves out of it totally ready for the next game."
Before injuries struck, the Dogs were already under the pump against a rampaging Cats side, which was headlined by a 10-goal performance from star forward Jeremy Cameron.
Beveridge said despite emphasising increasing disposal efficiency heading into the fixture, his players' use by foot was still a worrying issue for his side.
"The way we played and started the game, separating the periods where we had 23 players, we were on the back foot," he said. "Geelong's contested game and the pressure they put on, we didn't manage it too well.
"Our ball use again was hurtful, hence, that leads to so many times when our backs couldn't defend those balls. It was too blatant, it was too difficult."
Marcus Bontempelli appeared to have some concern with his knee during the match, but Beveridge wasn't concerned with his captain's health.
With tough fixtures against contenders Sydney and Fremantle across the next fortnight, the Western Bulldogs will be hoping ruck Tim English can make a successful return from injury as soon as possible.
Defenders Jedd Busslinger and Ryan Gardner are the likely players to replace the injured O'Donnell and Lobb after strong performances in the VFL.
