Dempster was helped from the ground after injuring the knee while changing direction in the opening minute of the win over the Bombers.
“I came off pretty early. The doctors took me straight to the room and gave me the bad news straight away,” Dempster told saintscentral.com.au.
“The scans showed I did my ACL so I’ll be out for the season and most of next season.”
The former Sydney Swan premiership player is hoping to be back on board in the fastest possible time.
“It’s a nine-month thing. I’ve just done my ACL and there’s no cartilage damage. It’s turned out alright but nine months is what I’m looking at,” he said.
Even if the recovery takes longer than expected, Dempster can be assured of a spot waiting for him when he returns to fitness.
The 24-year-old says he hasn’t given much thought to how he will spend his days while he is off his feet.
“I’ll probably be sitting on the couch watching a lot of TV and playing some Xbox,” he laughed.
“ I’ll have to get a bit of study done now there’s no football involved so hopefully that can go alright.”
Dempster says he hopes to learn a few tips from teammate Brendon Goddard, who made a speedy recovery from the same injury this year.
“I think over time I’ll draw from him and Jayden Attard. They both did their ACL last year. Seeing how he (Goddard) has come back so strongly gives me confidence for next year,” he said.
While he will be sidelined for the finals campaign, Dempster will ride every bump with his teammates throughout September.
“It was a great effort to come away with a top four finish was totally unexpected. The way the boys went about it was a great effort and really gives us a great building block leading into the finals.”
View the full Sean Dempster interview at saintscentral.com.au
