Greater Western Sydney star Tom Scully will have surgery on Sunday after scans confirmed he suffered a broken ankle in the Giants' hard-fought AFL win over Collingwood.
The 26-year-old was left clearly distressed when his right ankle folded underneath him in a strong tackle in the first quarter of Saturday's match at the MCG.
He was taken from the field on a stretcher and transported to Epworth Hospital where he will undergo surgery.
The club will have a clearer picture about how long he will be sidelined after the operation, but a return this season appears highly unlikely.
Coach Leon Cameron was bracing himself for a lengthy absence when he spoke to reporters after the 16-point win.
"You can't replace Tom Scully because we know he's an exceptional two-way runner and what he provides our footy team but ... we've got some players who will push for selection," Cameron said.
"Everyone goes through it, we've seen some nasty injuries in the first round and the early part of the second, and we're no different.
"We found a way last year under some trying circumstances and we'll do the same thing again."
The Giants played off in a preliminary final last year after dealing with a host of long-term injuries to star players including Brett Deledio, Ryan Griffen, Matt Buntine and Stephen Coniglio.
Scully was playing his first match of the season after he missed last week's 82-point demolition of the Western Bulldogs with a knee injury.
The midfielder's loss was a sour note in a gutsy performance by the Giants, who claimed just their second win in 13 attempts at the MCG.
"We've had some disappointing losses here but we never talked throughout the week about 'we have to win at the MCG'," Cameron said.
"I don't look at the grounds I just look at our ability to travel better whether it's the MCG or Etihad or wherever ... if we're going to be a good team we've got to travel better.
"We've got better each year but clearly most of our losses last year were on the road."