West Coast coach Andrew McQualter has revealed the club is fearing the worst for veteran forward Jamie Cripps, who is awaiting scan results on a potentially career-ending knee injury.
Cripps injured in WAFL clash
The 34-year-old went down during the final quarter of the Eagles' WAFL loss to South Fremantle on Saturday after twisting his left knee. The forward was in immediate pain on the turf and had to be carried off the ground, leaving the venue on crutches. The club confirmed he would undergo scans to determine the extent of the damage.
This season was already a make-or-break campaign for Cripps, who signed a one-year deal last year. He had been dropped after the round six western derby defeat, having managed only four goals in five games.
McQualter's comments
McQualter expressed his concern for the 2018 premiership star, stating that early signs are not promising. "It doesn't look great. Really sad and disappointing for Crippa," he said. "He went down with a knee injury yesterday. Initial signs were we are probably fearing the worst but we've got to wait and get the outcome of those scans."
He added: "Fingers crossed for Crippa that it's not as bad as first feared. I won't speculate too much but potentially a long-term knee injury is what the risk is. Obviously he was in a fair bit of pain and couldn't get off the field by himself."
When asked if this could signal the end of Cripps' career, McQualter replied: "It's too soon to speculate. I don't think it's fair to Crippa to even bring that up in the conversation at the moment. We'll just deal with the facts of this injury at the moment and see where that comes in the next couple of days."
Teammate's reaction
Premiership teammate Tom Cole expressed the players' hope for a positive outcome. "Prayers up for Crippa. A club legend," he told The West Australian. "Obviously we haven't found out the results of that yet, I am sure we'll find out the results in the next few days but it didn't look good but we don't know. Fingers crossed for him."
Cripps' season and career
Cripps had been struggling to break back into the AFL side after being dropped to the WAFL for the first time since 2014. He managed only one goal from two games before the Bulldogs' clash. Earlier this year, Cripps expressed his desire to play into a 17th season and earn a contract for 2027. "They're keeping me feeling young with the excitement that they bring to training, it's an exciting place to be at the moment, and hopefully I can stick around for a bit longer," he told SEN.
The 277-game forward, who began his career at St Kilda, has booted 339 goals. He holds the West Coast record for goal assists with 188, ranks third for tackles with 1004, and sixth for goals with 323.
Injury toll at West Coast
The Eagles already have three players sidelined with season-ending injuries. Noah Long suffered a knee injury in the pre-season, while star recruit Deven Robertson (ACL) and forward Jacob Newton (foot) went down early in the season. The potential loss of Cripps would be another significant blow to the club's depth.
