JUSTIN Leppitsch has called on the Brisbane Lions' leaders to stand up and be counted as the club braces for the worst possible news on Daniel Rich's knee injury.
Rich hobbled off during the second quarter of Saturday's horror 53-point loss to Gold Coast and will have scans on Sunday, but coach Leppitsch and vice-captain Tom Rockliff are expecting the worst.
It is believed Rich has suffered damage to the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and could miss 12 months.
He left the Lions' dressing room after the match on crutches with his head down.
Both Leppitsch and Rockliff said it would be a devastating blow to lose the midfielder.
"Doesn't look like great news at this point in time," Leppitsch said.
"The doctors weren't overly encouraging with their report. Like all things you have to wait the scans for this.
"Losing one of your best players … it's a fairly big blow when you talk about your season if it ends up being the case. It's a big blow.
"Everyone has these sorts of heartaches, every team goes through things like this."
Although Rockliff said it would open the door for another young player to be given an opportunity, there was no escaping the disappointment of losing his good mate to injury.
"The word is it's probably an ACL, which is disappointing for him and for us as a club," Rockliff said.
"He's the type of bloke you build your footy club around. He's class.
"He's one of the best kicks in the comp. His run and drive we're going to miss."
With Leppitsch likely to lose his most important player, he did not mince words about what he expected from the Lions' senior core.
They were smashed after half-time by the young Suns and had minimal influence from their more experienced players.
"I expect a lot out of our leaders," Leppitsch said.
"They're the ones that control the game when it's slipping out of control. I do expect them to direct and stand up and take control."
