Luckless Eagles forward suffers significant knee injury in final minutes of pre-season clash

West Coast youngster Noah Long has sustained an injury to his left knee during the final quarter of the Eagles' 28-point loss to Fremantle on Saturday.

Long appeared to suffer the injury while being tackled by Fremantle's Karl Worner, going to ground awkwardly and immediately looking to be in serious discomfort.

Play was paused as the 21-year-old was taken from the ground by medical staff, unable to place any weight through his left leg and visibly grimacing in pain.

West Coast confirmed the injury for Long shortly after the final siren, wishing him the best in his recovery.

The Eagles will provide an update on the extent of Long's concern later today.

Noah Long was helped from the ground following this incident. pic.twitter.com/zFrdZucqis

— AFL (@AFL) February 21, 2026

It's a brutal blow for Long, who has faced several interrupted seasons in his short AFL career so far. In 2024, Long was ruled out for the year after suffering a significant PCL injury which required season-ending surgery.

The Echuca product was in and out of the West Coast senior lineup in 2025, managing 10 games but never truly capturing his best footy, kicking just three goals for the season.

At WAFL level, Long kicked eight goals in 10 games, while averaging 14.6 disposals and 3.4 inside 50s per game.