Scans have confirmed Brisbane defender Lily Postlethwaite suffered another ACL injury in her comeback AFLW game from a knee reconstruction.
The 20-year-old injured her right knee in the first quarter of the Lions' thumping opening-round win over Fremantle at the Gabba on Sunday.
It was Postlethwaite's first AFLW game in 553 days after injuring her left knee in a major blow for the premiership fancies.
She had played a number of games in the Queensland competition before the start of the second AFLW season of 2022.
"It's absolutely heartbreaking news for Lily and the entire team," Lions football boss Breeanna Brock said.
"She left no stone unturned in her recovery from her previous injury and played out the vast majority of the recent QAFLW season, so it feels like a particularly cruel twist of fate for her season to end this way.
"The team and the club will rally around Lily to provide her with our full support during her recovery."
However, it was better news for Sydney's No.1 pick Montana Ham after she was cleared of an ACL injury in the Swans' debut game against St Kilda.
Ham went to ground and immediately clutched at her knee in the dying stages of the Saints' win.
The 18-year-old is expected to be sidelined for three-to-four weeks with a knee joint sprain.
