Scans have confirmed Smith has re-injured his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, after an incident during Footscray Bulldogs’ VFL win over Essendon on Sunday at Victoria University Whitten Oval
McKenzie said Smith, with specialist and Club medical advice, has opted for a traditional reconstruction to repair his injured ACL, and surgery will take place over the next few days.
“It has been confirmed with MRI that [Clay] has injured his ACL – he has had a specialist review yesterday and it was confirmed that he will need that repaired again — he will go down the [path of a] traditional hamstring repair,” McKenzie said.
“We know Clay will rehabilitate this injury with the professional approach we’ve seen from him in the past.”
Meanwhile Wallis suffered a fracture to his left foot during Sunday’s game against Essendon, and will require surgery to stabilise the joint.
Medical Services Manager Andrew McKenzie said Club medical staff were confident of a good outcome post-surgery, and expect a fit Wallis for the commencement of pre-season training.
“Mitch had some foot soreness – we had some x-rays yesterday which did confirm the fracture – he has seen the specialist, who has confirmed he needs a pin inserted and will require surgery,” McKenzie said.
“He will miss the end of the year, but we expect that by pre-season, particularly with Mitch and his character… he’ll be solid and do really well.”
Clay Smith tackles Essendon's Aaron Heppell, in the Footscray Bulldogs' Sunday VFL match at Victoria University Whitten Oval.
