YET ANOTHER player has had her season cut short, with scans confirming Adelaide’s Sophie Armitstead will sit out the rest of the NAB AFL Women’s competition after she suffered a meniscus tear in her left knee.
The injury occurred during the third quarter of the team’s 25-point win over the Western Bulldogs last Friday, with Armitstead playing no further part in the match.
Adelaide coach Bec Goddard said she was confident the 22-year-old midfielder from the Northern Territory would bounce back from the injury.
"Sophie has had a previous ACL reconstruction and meniscal repair. Scans [on Tuesday] confirmed her ACL is intact, however her meniscal repair has failed," Goddard said.
"It’s devastating news for Sophie … but I have no doubt that she’ll tackle this challenge head-on.
"She is a great talent and has a bright future ahead of her."
Armitstead joins a long list of players who will miss the rest of the season, headlined by marquee selections Kiara Bowers (Fremantle) and Renee Forth (GWS), who both suffered serious knee injuries late last year, prior to the AFLW competition starting.
Bowers ruptured her ACL while playing for the Coastal Titans in the WAWFL, while Forth ruptured her ACL, medial collateral ligament and meniscus in the same game.
Other players who won’t feature in the remainder of the season include Carlton’s Natalie Plane (ankle), Collingwood’s Kendra Heil (knee; sustained pre-season), Fremantle’s Kim Mickle (knee) and Brianna Green (collarbone) and Melbourne’s Meg Downie (hamstring) and Stephanie De Bortoli (achilles).
Due to the small size of team lists (most started with 27 while Fremantle had 29), clubs are able to sign injury replacement players if they have less than 24 fit players.