Adelaide Crows forward Josh Rachele is expected to miss the next 4–6 weeks after fracturing three ribs in their win over North Melbourne.
Rachele copped a knee to the chest from Kangaroos' ruckman Tristan Xerri late in the first quarter, coming off the ground immediately and not returning.
He was subsequently sent for scans on Sunday night, with further scans on Monday morning confirming a rib fracture for the 21-year-old.
Crows high-performance manager Darren Burgess said it's an unfortunate injury, but the club will take all necessary steps to ensure a proper recovery.
"It's a disappointing blow for Josh and the team, but unfortunately, in a contact sport, these injuries are sometimes hard to avoid," Burgess said.
"Fractured ribs are very painful, so Josh will be given the time and space he needs to recover, and we will take a conservative approach to his rehabilitation and return to football."
After an inconsistent 2024 season, in which he was infamously dropped, Rachele was enjoying some of the best form of his career through the opening rounds.
The goal-sneak kicked two majors in the club's opening game against St Kilda, along with 21 disposals. He was even better the following week, booting four goals and taking eight marks in the Crows' 61-point demolition of Essendon.
"If anyone's watching Josh – not only Josh, but our forward line in general – there's a really big group buy-in," Crows midfielder Rory Laird said last week, according to AFL Media.
"Just Josh's unselfishness at the moment, in how he's playing and setting up his teammates, he's getting into really good positions on the field."
The Crows will be hopeful Rachele can be fit for the Showdown in Round 9. He will miss clashes against Gold Coast, Geelong, GWS and Fremantle.
