COLLINGWOOD vice-captain Taylor Adams won't play again this season after suffering a serious groin injury in Saturday's qualifying final loss to Geelong at the MCG.
The 28-year-old had played an important role around the ball in a blockbuster final, before requiring assistance off the ground in the final quarter after getting a kick away under pressure.
Adams was emotional on the bench after being replaced by Nathan Kreuger for the final 10 minutes of the six-point loss to the Cats in front of 91,525 people.
CATS v MAGPIES Full match coverage and stats
The midfielder missed the final three games of the home and away season due to an adductor strain and has a long history of groin injuries dating back to his underage days at the Geelong Falcons.
Adams needed every day between his injury in round 20 and the first final to recover in time, but now the club believes he has torn his groin off the bone, ruling him out of the rest of September and most likely requiring surgery.
"It looks like he's torn the groin off the bone – that's the early diagnosis – his season is over," Collingwood coach Craig McRae said.
"I just grabbed him then; he's had his moment of emotion. We'll get around him and support him as best we can."
The Magpies have won more close games than any side in VFL/AFL history in 2022, winning nine games by single digits and two more by under two goals, but it was their turn to be on the receiving end of a heartbreaking loss on Saturday night.
FIVE TALKING POINTS Pies' Elliott tactic pays dividends
"You get this close in a game where you are a kick away from a week off and a prelim final. I'm extremely proud of the effort, but we need to get ourselves sorted really quickly and get to work," McRae said.
"We're here to win this thing. You get to this time and you want to give it your best shot; I thought we threw a lot of punches today. We lost the game but we're not losers, there is a difference."
McRae said he picked up six deflated players who were sprawled on the turf after the final siren and asked his players not to do that in future under his watch.
"We want to act like winners. I must admit, the siren goes and half a dozen guys are laying on the ground, for me that's not a winner, that's acting like a loser. We lost the game, but we're not losers.
"I said (in the meeting after the game) for the lifetime that I'm sitting in this chair, maybe barring a Grand Final, don't lay on the ground (after a loss)."
Star midfielder-forward Jordan De Goey hurt his AC joint in the opening quarter and strapped his shoulder at the first break, before returning to be one of the best players on the ground, but he will need to be assessed during the week before being cleared to play in next weekend's semi-final.
McRae was thrilled with De Goey's ability to stand up and perform when it mattered most, after the 26-year-old kicked two crucial last-quarter goals on the run, finishing with 26 disposals, nine tackles, eight clearances and two goals.
"We're looking for five per cent gains and he's that guy. There's not many players guys in our team or many other teams that can really turn it on when you need it and kick clutch goals. He did it again tonight. We'll continue to put Jordy in positions where he has the opportunity to shine," he said.
Collingwood won the tackle count by 15, laying 83 for the game – 18 above their season average in 2022 – and setting the tone for pressure from the opening bounce, when Brayden Maynard left his mark on the game, to the final siren.
But several tackles that appeared to be holding the ball weren't paid by the umpires, prompting McRae to suggest Collingwood will seek clarification from the AFL this week.
"I thought we didn't get rewarded for our tackles. I don't know if that's something we'll look at and the AFL will look at it. We had a lot of awesome tackles that weren't rewarded," he said.
"Isn't it funny, you run someone down from behind and you don't get rewarded and then someone drags it in underneath you and it's holding the ball. That doesn't sit well with me."