WESTERN Bulldog Clay Smith's shocking run with injury has continued, with the club confirming the midfielder hurt the knee he had reconstructed last year in the VFL on Sunday afternoon.
The promising 21-year-old sustained the injury to his right knee during the third quarter of Footscray's 53-point win over Essendon at Whitten Oval, but the extent of the damage is yet to be determined.
Before the mishap, Smith was continuing his dominant VFL form, racking up 12 touches, five tackles and kicking two goals.
"We don't know yet, we'll find out tomorrow but it doesn't look great for him. It's a cruel game but you've got to keep life in perspective. He's got a good family, he's a tough kid and we'll look after him," Western Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney said after his side's loss to Essendon.
It's been a frustrating 12 months for Smith, who ruptured his ACL against the Bombers in round 16 of the 2013 AFL season.
In April, he and teammate Christian Howard contracted Salmonella poisoning, and then in his first and only senior appearance since his reconstruction, Smith injured his AC joint in the round 10 clash with Gold Coast, sidelining him for several weeks.
Smith has played 31 senior games since being taken with pick 17 in the 2011 NAB AFL Draft.
