AFL

Sydney’s remarkable push for an AFL premiership has suffered another enormous blow, with scans confirming captain Callum Mills ruptured the ACL in his right knee during Saturday’s stunning finals victory over Brisbane.

Mills was forced from the field during the opening quarter of the qualifying final after his knee gave way while changing direction near the boundary, immediately raising fears of a serious injury.

Those fears were confirmed on Monday, with the Swans announcing scans had revealed a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament that will rule their captain out for the remainder of the finals series.

Mills will meet with a knee specialist in the coming days to determine the timing of surgery, while the 29-year-old has already started the early stages of his rehabilitation.

MORE: Sydney Swans’ Tom Papley makes startling revelation after Brisbane thrashing

The devastating diagnosis takes some of the shine off an extraordinary 53-point victory over Brisbane, with Sydney producing a dominant 141-88 performance at the SCG to book a home preliminary final and earn a week off.

The Swans were already attempting to mount a premiership challenge with a severely depleted side following the decision to stand down Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice for the remainder of the season.

Read more NRL

Getty Images

The five players were sanctioned by Sydney for breaches of club standards, with those punishments separate from the ongoing Victoria Police investigation into allegations surrounding an incident at a Melbourne hotel last month.

No charges have been laid against any of the five players, and their club-imposed suspensions will remain in place regardless of the outcome of the police investigation.

Losing Mills now strips Sydney of its captain and another senior member of a side that had already been forced to overcome significant adversity simply to reach the preliminary final.

Remarkably, the Swans showed against Brisbane that they remain capable of competing with the competition’s best despite those absences, with Logan McDonald kicking six goals and Tom Papley and Charlie Curnow adding five each.

The week off at least provides Sydney with an opportunity to regroup before its preliminary final, with Joel Amartey and Justin McInerney expected to be available after their respective injury layoffs.

However, there will be no return for Mills this season, adding another significant obstacle to a premiership campaign that has already been forced to overcome more adversity than anyone at the Swans could have anticipated.

AFL

Comments