There's nothing more deflating for an AFL fan base than news of an ACL injury.
The injury, particularly for young players, has robbed the footballing world of some of its most exciting talents.
With Carlton's prized draftee, Jagga Smith, rupturing his ACL, we decided to compile a list of some of the AFL's best young prospects who successfully recovered from season-ending injuries to forge great careers.
The following players should (hopefully) give Carlton fans a small glimmer of hope.
1. Christian Petracca
Christian Petracca is the logical comparison to Jagga Smith - a highly touted midfielder taken early in the draft who suffered a devastating ACL injury in his first season with the club.
Just like Smith, Petracca ruptured his knee during a February pre-season training session in the lead-up to the opening round. The Demons midfielder ultimately missed the entire 2015 season and had to wait until Round 6 of the following year for his eventual debut.
Encouragingly for Smith, Petracca hit the ground running in 2016 and quickly established himself as one of the premier young players in the competition. He was also relatively undeterred by the effects of his injury, missing only five games in his first four playing seasons with the Demons.
