Melbourne forward Shane McAdam is in danger of missing the entire AFL season after rupturing his achilles tendon.
McAdam suffered the injury at training on Friday and is now set to undergo surgery.
"Shane went to accelerate during match play on Friday, and has unfortunately ruptured his achilles tendon in the process," Melbourne's general manager of football performance Alan Richardson said.
"This is an incredibly disappointing outcome for Shane, who was starting to get some real momentum and confidence in his body, following a strong pre-season.
"Shane will meet with a surgeon in the coming days, with the view to undergo surgery.
"From here, we will have a greater understanding of what his recovery timelines will look like."
McAdam crossed from Adelaide to Melbourne at the end of 2023, but missed the early part of last year with a hamstring injury and only managed three AFL appearances for the season.
His latest setback continues a wretched run of luck on the injury front for Melbourne.
Captain Max Gawn fractured his larynx at training over the summer, while young defender Judd McVee will be sidelined for the next six to eight weeks with a hamstring injury.
Demons midfielder Jack Viney has been placed on a modified training program due to a rib injury, while Caleb Windsor has been sidelined with a skin infection on his foot.
Christian Petracca, who suffered life-threatening internal injuries last year, cracked a rib following a training knock in January.
