Suns hopeful Rowell will be back in 2021

Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew is cautiously optimistic Matt Rowell has avoided a season-ending knee injury, but says it’s shattering to see the star midfielder cut down again.

Rowell injured his left knee in the opening quarter of Sunday’s 25-point loss to West Coast when he was tackled from behind by Zac Langdon.

The force and momentum of the tackle meant Rowell’s left knee bore the brunt of his fall, and he immediately headed to the change rooms for further assessment.

Matt Rowell of the Suns walks back onto the ground on crutches. Will Russell/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Rowell was subbed out of the game at quarter time, and he was later seen on crutches and wearing a big knee brace.

But Dew said the injury looks to be more like a posterior cruciate ligament issue rather than a dreaded anterior cruciate ligament tear.

“We don’t think it is season-ending at this stage,” Dew said.

“But having said that, I am certainly not a doctor. We need to get some scans tomorrow or the next day when we get back to the Gold Coast.

“We’re shattered for the lad. We want to see the best players playing and he’s one of our best. He has done so much work.

“To see him go down and have to put a brave face on again, your heart goes out to him. We’ll wrap our arms around him, reload and go again.”

Rowell was playing his first AFL match since suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in round five last year.

Love the AFL? Australian users can personalise their ESPN experience by downloading the App. Get live scores, news and videos ANYWHERE, ANYTIME.

• Download ESPN from Google Play Store• Download ESPN from iTunes App Store• Get AFL news and more in your inbox• Head to ESPN’s Home of AFL• The 20 biggest moments of 2020: Check out the top 20

DOWNLOAD

The first four games of his AFL career had been so stunning that he was even being talked up as a possible Brownlow medal contender before the shoulder injury ended his debut campaign.

After suffering the knee injury against West Coast on Sunday, Rowell bravely continued to support his teammates from the sidelines, and even came out for a team huddle at three-quarter time.

“He is so unselfish, he put on a brave face,” Dew said.

“He is all about the club, all about the team. He loves the club, we give him the love back.

“He’s going to get through this. He loves the game more than anyone we have ever witnessed. It’s a big statement, but it’s true.

“It’s sad for him, but there are worse people off in the world, he knows that. We haven’t seen the end of him.”