Wells cut a disconsolate figure as he limped to the bench with a trainer just minutes before the opening bounce and then continued on down the race.
Chaos ensued on the Kangaroos' bench as they scrambled to find a replacement with David Hale - who played in the VFL earlier on Saturday - eventually emerging from the race and taking the field 17 minutes into the first term.
Compounding the Roos' issues was the sight of Lachie Hansen limping to the bench favouring an ankle five minutes into the game. He too disappeared down the race, but returned to the field just minutes later after receiving treatment.
Nathan Grima (quad) and Daniel Pratt (hamstring) were withdrawn when the final team lists were lodged 90 minutes befotre the opening bounce. They were replaced by first-gamer Ben Speight and Leigh Harding.
