Source :- THE AGE NEWS
By Angus Delaney
The Bulldogs are “fearing the worst ” after star forward Sam Darcy was subbed out with a knee injury after landing awkwardly in the Bulldogs ’ dominant 71-point Easter Sunday win over St Kilda.
The Dogs said they were fearing the worst – a damaged anterior cruciate ligament – which would almost surely rule Darcy out for the rest of the 2025 time.
Darcy crumpled to the ground and clutched at his left leg, which he appeared to hyperextend after a marking competition in the first quarter.
Terriers coach Luke Beveridge would n’t assume to the amount of Darcy’s wound but said the 21-year-old’s perspective post-game was excellent.
“ I can’t really elaborate until the medicos have done their scans, ” said Beveridge.
“ He probably knows he might have a serious knee injury, but he’s in the huddle, arms round his teammates, singing the song, ” Beveridge said after the match.
“[ That ] shows what sort of character he is. ”
General director of basketball operations Matt Egan said the membership believed it may be a damaged ACL injury, with a physician scan to give a clear answer in the next 24 hours.
“The skilled staff are very concerned. At this stage, they’re fearing the worst. It looks like a probable ACL. We’re just going to have to wait til tomorrow and get images to affirm, ” Egan said on Channel Seven.
Beveridge said that if Darcy’s wound resulted in a long-term presence, the staff would need to change their playing tone, without their best ahead.
Physiotherapist and triple-premiership AFLW keeper Libby Birch told this masthead that all the first symptoms were that Darcy had ruptured his ACL.
She said the tendon of the leg was a “mechanism for an ACL” and the fact that Darcy had grabbed at his thigh was a negative indicator.
“ When players grab at the shin, it ’s likely that the ACL has ruptured, ” she said.
“The experience is of the knee falling away from the knee. That’s why people get their thigh, it ’s a unmistakable sign of an ACL. ”
Birch also said a 2022 review showed that a family history of ACL injury left an performer two and a half times more likely to experience a tear. Darcy’s parents Luke suffered two during his playing career.
The 208-centimeter major ahead went straight to the shift areas after he hobbled off the field, clearly in anguish and accompanied by medical staff.
Birch explained why the club doctors would have said they feared the worst for the young forward, even without having done scans.
“They would have done the ACL test in the rooms, and the reason they’re suggesting it ’s an ACL is because there [would have been ] way too much movement in the knee, suggesting the ligament is not intact, ” she said.
Darcy’s a pillar of the Bulldogs ’ forward line and has been particularly crucial due to the prolonged absence of Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.
But it was after Darcy went down that the Dogs took over the game, kicking seven consecutive goals en route to their 18. 19 ( 127 ) to 8. 8 ( 56 ) demolition of St Kilda in front of 35,511 at Marvel stadium.
They held the Saints to a goalless second quarter, whereas the Bulldogs ’ Aaron Naughton and returned captain Marcus Bontempelli kicked two apiece. By half-time, the Saints trailed by 26 points.
From then on, the Bulldogs dominated the stoppages and territory game. The St Kilda defence was under siege, facing 69 inside 50s and recording only 31 of their own.
Stepping up in Darcy’s absence, forward Aaron Naughton was the beneficiary of many of the Dogs ’ inside-50s, kicking three goals, which could have easily been more if not for inaccurate kicking.
Bontempelli booted two goals and had 30 disposals in his first game for the season. Credit: Getty Images
The Bulldogs were also bolstered by the season debut Bontempelli.
His legendary Easter Sunday reappearance was capped off with 30 disposals and two goals, looking like he had n’t missed a beat.
Sorely missed by Bulldogs supporters, he was given an almighty cheer when his name was announced pre-game. The Bulldogs move to 3-3 for the season and creep inside the top eight.
St Kilda, after an impressive opening 10 minutes, looked lethargic around the stoppages and were squarely outworked around the ground.
This was encapsulated when speedy Saints ’ winger Bradley Hill was caught in a chase-down tackle by Tom Liberatore in the final term.
The few inside 50s they tallied in the second half were largely squandered. Mitch Owens ( 3 ) and Jack Higgins ( 2 ) were the only multiple goal scorers for St Kilda. Naughton ( 3 ), Rhylee West ( 3 ), Bontempelli ( 2 ), Matthew Kennedy ( 2 ) and Joel Freijah ( 2 ) were the most damaging for the Dogs.
