The Essendon Bombers AFLW have suffered a significant setback ahead of Saturday afternoon's Elimination Final against the Fremantle Dockers AFLW.
Taking on the Dockers away from home, the Bombers will be without co-captain Bonnie Toogood after it was confirmed that she will miss the remainder of the 2024 AFLW Finals series.
Leaving the field early in the first quarter against Carlton last week, scans have confirmed that Toogood has sustained a syndesmosis injury and will miss the remainder of the season.
"We are shattered for Bonnie after she suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter of Saturday's game against the Blues," Head of Medical Services Megan Smith said.
"After an initial assessment, we decided it was best not to have Bonnie return to the field in order to give her the best chance to play should we make the finals.
"However, scans yesterday confirmed she had suffered a high-grade two syndesmosis injury in her ankle.
"We will seek further advice from a surgeon. However, the recovery time for this type of injury is usually around five weeks, which means Bonnie will miss the remainder of our finals series.
"It's been a challenging year for Bonnie after suffering an MCL injury earlier in the season.
"However, we know how determined and dedicated Bonnie is and that she'll get stuck into her rehab to ensure she returns even stronger in 2025.
"While we are sad she won't be on the field for our finals campaign, we know her leadership will still be incredibly important to the side."