CARLTON'S young gun Mimi Hill has been confirmed as the latest NAB AFLW player to suffer a season-ending knee injury.
The 18-year-old was helped off the field during the final quarter of the Blues' round-six win over Geelong on Sunday after hurting her left knee while attempting to tackle an opponent. Scans later confirmed a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
Hill has featured in all six games so far in her debut season.
She will see a surgeon on Tuesday before determining the best course of rehabilitation.
"Mimi has made such an incredible impact on our group from the moment she walked through the door six months ago," Carlton general manager of women's football Brett Munro said.
"While the feeling for us right now is one of sadness, our whole football club will be right there with Mimi to ensure she returns to the field to pick up right where she left off.
AFLW INJURY REPORT ACLs on the rise, concussions stable
"Mimi is not only a talented footballer but a quality person, with great character.
"That is why we know she will overcome this challenge and continue her hard work and determination to become a great player for our football club for years to come."
Hill's setback comes amid a bad run of serious knee injuries over the past few weeks in a competition that has seen a spate of them in its five seasons so far.
Jordan Membrey (Collingwood), Olivia Purcell (Geelong), Deanna Berry (Western Bulldogs), Lily Postlethwaite (Brisbane), and Shae Sloane (Melbourne) all ruptured ACLs recently.
In other injury news, Adelaide has ruled Nikki Gore out for the season after the young defender underwent surgery on a fractured left ankle.
The 20-year-old - who has played a career-high six games this season, her third - landed awkwardly after colliding with a teammate in a marking contest in the the first quarter of Adelaide's big win over Gold Coast.
Just a few minutes later, Suns midfielder Jamie Stanton looked to have suffered an equally serious ankle injury, was administered pain relief on the ground and was stretchered off.
The Suns' best and fairest winner will undergo scans on Monday night, but the club is hopeful the injury isn't quite as significant as first feared.
