Sam Darcy has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a ruptured ACL, the Bulldogs have confirmed.
The 22-year-old collapsed in a heap with no one around him during the second quarter of his side’s 131-56 defeat to Geelong Cats at Kardinia Park on Friday night.
And now the seriousness of the injury has been revealed, with a club statement reading: “Western Bulldogs forward Sam Darcy will miss the remainder of the 2026 season after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
“Darcy underwent scans on Saturday following an incident during the second quarter of Friday night’s game against Geelong at GMHBA Stadium.”
Bulldogs Head of Sports Medicine Chris Bell added: “We’re incredibly disappointed for Sam after scans confirmed he has ruptured his ACL.
“He’s an extremely driven individual and we have no doubt he’ll attack his rehabilitation strongly in the coming months.”
Instantly after Darcy fell to the ground, Richmond legend Matthew Richardson admitted on the live coverage: “That’s not good, I feel sick, actually. He put some weight down on it and it collapsed under him.”
On Kayo Sports’ Friday Night Football, Gerard Whateley added there were “gasps across the football world” and that there was a “sickening sense of deja vu,” — referencing the season-ending ACL tear Darcy’s father, Luke, suffered 21 years ago at the same ground.
Sam also had to recover from a fractured knee last year.
The young prodigy did manage to get back to his feet and hobble off the field, but could not put any pressure on his left leg.
Melbourne icon Garry Lyon said: “It was so dramatic and so severe, and he’s a tough kid and we’ve been here before.
“We all held our breath last year at Marvel and he got away with it on that occasion and he got back in six weeks. We can only hope.”
Leading sports physio Brien Seeney took to social media to have his say on the severity of the injury, reacting: “Can see that left calf ripple as the tibia snaps back into place.“Have almost always seen that come back as an ACL tear (this is not a diagnosis, just an analysis of the video).”
Footy fans were also quick to take to social media to voice their concern for Darcy — who has 12 goals and 64 disposals this season.
John Donohoe said: “That is absolutely heartbreaking for Sam Darcy! Looked horrific!”
BroBro added: “That’s not good for Sam Darcy. Not good at all.. Hoping it’s not an ACL.”
Jaz responded: “My heart breaks for Sam Darcy. He’s such a great player. I hope whatever is wrong with his knee heals quickly.”
And Michael Willson said: “Hate seeing the game’s best go down. Fingers crossed for Sam Darcy.”
It was a nightmare night for the Bulldogs as Rory Lobb, Tom Liberatore, and James O’Donnell all followed Darcy in being forced off with injuries.
The Bulldogs confirmed Liberatore suffered a concussion and will be assessed, while the severity of O’Donnell’s hamstring issue will “become clearer in the coming days”.
Lobb has been “cleared of any serious injury” to his hamstring and will be assessed ahead of Thursday’s clash with Sydney.
