Adelaide key defender Jordon Butts will be sidelined for the remainder of 2023 after fracturing his foot during Saturday night's Showdown against Port Adelaide.
The 23-year-old found himself in a prominent role in this young Adelaide rearguard, particularly after Nick Murray was ruled out of the season with an ACL suffered last weekend.
These losses leave the Crows severely undermanned through the backline and in danger of conceding heavy scores in remaining matches, including Round 22's clash against Brisbane at the Gabba.
It leaves youngsters Josh Worrell, Mark Keane, Max Michalanney and Mitch Hinge to take care of the opposition's power forwards; none of which are household names expected to carry the Crows to September.
Adelaide's High Performance Manager Darren Burgess spoke on the loss of Butts for the team and individual.
“It's obviously really disappointing for Jordon and also the team to lose another key defender,” Burgess said.
“The injury requires surgery which will see him miss the remainder of the season, but we expect him to make a full recovery and complete a full pre-season over summer.”
Scans concluded that Butts fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot and he will enter surgery this week.
Adelaide are now forced to experiment this weekend when they face Gold Coast at home to keep their season alive.