West Coast defender Mitch Brown will miss the rest of the AFL season after scans confirmed he has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Brown suffered the injury in Saturday’s 10-point opening round loss to the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium.
With fellow key backman Eric Mackenzie also out for the year, Jeremy McGovern and Will Schofield will be required to take on lead roles in defence, starting with Friday night’s clash with Carlton in Perth.