Brisbane Lions midfielder Daniel Rich has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, requiring a knee reconstruction expected to rule him out for the rest of the AFL season.

The diagnosis, which was confirmed by scans on Monday, is a massive blow to the Lions’ already flagging finals hopes.

The 23-year-old sustained the right knee damage in the first half of their 53-point loss to Gold Coast on Saturday when he collided with Suns youngster Sean Lemmens.

Brisbane are 0-3 this season and face another tough match against Port Adelaide this weekend.