The path back to the senior side for one of Collingwood's returning stars, Jordan De Goey or Bobby Hill, has potentially been cleared following the recent devastating injury blow dealt to Lachie Sullivan.
Sullivan had grown into a regular in the Magpies’ side, featuring in his 11th consecutive game for the black and white on Sunday against Richmond.
But it was against the Tigers that the 27-year-old’s season would cruelly come undone, as he suffered a high-grade posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury that saw him subbed out of the contest in the third quarter.
“We are all incredibly disappointed for Lachie,” Collingwood’s executive general manager Charlie Gardiner said.
MORE: Collingwood to welcome back two premiership heroes in the VFL this weekend
“He has been a valuable contributor to our AFL side this season and is a highly respected and popular member of the team.
“The standard return timeline for this type of injury is 12 weeks which unfortunately rules him out for the remainder of the season.
“We will wrap our arms around Lachie during this time and he will have our full support throughout his rehab journey.”
The Pies welcomed back De Goey and Hill through the VFL on the weekend, where the two premiership heroes showed flashes of their best in a 36-point loss to Frankston.
De Goey accumulated 19 disposals in limited game time, while Hill booted a team-high three goals.
The Pies are also expected to gain Scott Pendlebury for Saturday night’s blockbuster match against Brisbane, after the 37-year-old was a late scratch against Richmond.