Geelong's star midfielder Jimmy Bartel will be sidelined for at least two months through injury, after scans showed a tear in the medial ligament of his left knee.
Bartel, 31, requires surgery to repair the damage and will have the operation on Thursday.
The Brownlow medallist was injured during the first quarter of Geelong's win against the Gold Coast, when he collided with Gold Coast's Michael Rischitelli.
Bartel was not the only Cat to be injured in Sunday's game, with teammates Tom Lonergan suffering concussion while Mathew Stokes injured his Achilles.
The club announced on its website that updates on the condition of both Stokes and Lonergan would be provided on Wednesday.
The pair join a lengthy injury list that includes Andrew Mackie (quad) and Jared Rivers (knee) amongst others.
Lonergan was stretchered from the ground in the third quarter after a heavy collision but coach Chris Scott said the defender was showing positive signs soon after the match.
The coach acknowledged the sensitive nature of recovery from concussion but was hopeful Lonergan would be available for Sunday's clash against the Kangaroos at Simonds Stadium.
"One thing I will say about Tom's situation is if you're a so-called external expert, I think you should be really careful around the issues around concussion for individual players when you've never set eyes on them," Scott said.
"If you want to help, come in and see him face to face, get a feel for the situation, speak to the experts that we have internally before you spout off for self-indulgent reasons."
