Brisbane's win over Geelong on Saturday night saw them creep closer to claiming second place on the ladder, however, it came at a terrific cost, with young gun Will Ashcroft sustaining a ruptured ACL.
The Lions' hard-fought home victory over their fellow September contender was hollowed after the 19-year-old was left holding his right knee with time to play in the final quarter.
Brisbane's medical team released the results of Ashcroft's scans, with Lions General Manager of Football, Danny Daly, confirming that worst-case scenario and claiming hearts were hurting inside the club's four walls.
โWe are all hurting for Will because you never want to see any player experience a serious injury, especially a player in their first season,โ Daly said on Sunday.
โWill is super professional in everything he does, so we know he will do everything he can to recover from this.
โOur main priority is for everyone at the Club to wrap their arms around Will and do everything we can to support him and his family in any way we can.โ
Having racked up averages of more than 22 disposals and three-and-a-half clearances across his opening 17 games at the senior level, Ashcroft had continued to firm as the favourite to take out the 2023 Rising Star Award.
Fagan's charges face clashes against Gold Coast (A), Fremantle (A), Adelaide (H), Collingwood (A) and St Kilda (H) in their quest to claim the double chance and a home final.
