Fremantle's AFLW flag hopes have suffered a huge blow after scans confirmed star forward Aine Tighe has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee.
Tighe suffered the injury in the opening minutes of Saturday's after-the-siren six-point win over Melbourne at Fremantle Oval.
The 32-year-old had already ruptured the ACL in her left knee twice before, and the tear in her right knee will rule her out for the rest of the season.
Tighe is arguably Fremantle's most important player, with her four-goal haul in the round-one win over Essendon highlighting her potency in attack.
"We are all devastated for Aine," Fremantle's head of AFLW Claire Heffernan said in a statement.
"She is an incredibly important player and leader in our team and will be sorely missed on the field for the remainder of the 2024 season.
"We have no doubt Aine will use every ounce of her determination to attack her rehabilitation with gusto.
"We as a club will be steadfast in our support of her and will go above and beyond to make sure she has everything she needs to heal and repair from this injury."
Fremantle coach Lisa Webb praised Tighe in her post-match media conference after Saturday's game, crediting the co-vice-captain's leadership.
"She honestly is incredible. She was up on the bench really early after she got ruled out of the game," Webb said.
"She's so good at staying on task. She's a great leader and she's very focused on what she wants for this team."
Fremantle sit sixth on the ladder with a 3-1 record ahead of Friday's clash with seventh-placed St Kilda (3-1) at RSEA Park.
Dockers star Gabby O'Sullivan, who kicked three goals against the Demons, will front the AFLW Tribunal on Tuesday night in a bid to be free to face St Kilda.
O'Sullivan was handed a one-match ban for striking Melbourne's Sinead Goldrick, with the incident graded as intentional conduct, low impact and high contact.
