Luckless Josh Gibcus has been reassured publicly that he is a “long-term” AFL player for Richmond after his latest injury setback was confirmed as a season-ender.
A hamstring injury sidelined Gibcus for all of last season and Thursday night was his second game back, but he fell awkwardly on the knee following a marking contest in the second term of the Tigers’ narrow loss to Carlton at the MCG.
A distraught Gibcus left the field on a medical cart and was taken into Richmond’s rooms.
The club confirmed the 20-year-old defender needs a knee reconstruction that will sideline him for the rest of the season, with scans confirming he ruptured his right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
New Richmond coach Adem Yze said post-match that Gibcus’s latest career stall is “gut-wrenching”, but the club is sticking by him.
“We are all incredibly disappointed for Josh. It is horrible luck after what he has already encountered on the injury front in his short career,” Tigers football performance manager Tim Livingstone said in the club statement.
“Josh battled through last year with his head up and had put in a mountain of work to get himself back to full fitness for this season.
“We view Josh as a long-term player for us and an important part of our future, so we will give him all the support he needs and help him throughout his road to returning in 2025.
“He is still so young and has a lot of football ahead of him after this setback. We know the character and professional he is, that he will attack his rehab first-class and return stronger.”
He follows Keidean Coleman (Brisbane Lions) and Sam Docherty (Carlton), who also suffered dreaded ACL injuries in last week’s opening round.
Gibcus, a top-10 draft pick in 2021, has played 20 games since his 2022 debut.
AAP