Knee injury brings early end to match for Swans captain
Adrian Warren |
A knee injury has brought an early end to the match for Swans captain Callum Mills in their AFL qualifying final against Brisbane at the SCG.
Sydney were leading 40-8 late in the first quarter on Saturday and riding a wave of momentum, with every positive act generating massive cheers from the fans.
Then Mills’ right knee gave way and immediately the SCG crowd held their breath.
The veteran rose gingerly to his feet and was helped off the ground by two Swans trainers, accompanied by a large round of sympathetic applause as he made his way down the race.
The Swans later confirmed Mills would play no further part in the match, but the 29-year-old captain gave the crowd a thumbs-up when he appeared on the big screen with crutches on the Swans bench.
Mills had earned plenty of kudos for his leadership after the Swans were engulfed by turmoil, suspending five players for the rest of the season for breaching club culture after their round 23 win over Essendon in Melbourne.
The Lions also suffered a first-quarter casualty, with Noah Answerth hobbling off with an ankle issue shortly after Mills went down. Answerth received attention and returned to play.
Cheers of “Sydney, Sydney,” rolled down from the stands before the game, as fans responded to calls from players and officials to back the understrength team.
Sydney kicked six of the first seven goals, with forwards Logan McDonald and Tom Papley each kicking two goals.
Before the game, Papley appeared to be getting treatment for a possible calf issue, but appeared untroubled in the first quarter.
AAP