An historic day in Greater Western Sydney's short history carries a miserable asterisk with the grim news on Sunday night that star big man Jonathon Patton has torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee for the second time in little more than 16 months.
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Celebration of a famous first win in Victoria - achieved despite playing without Patton and co-captains Phil Davis and Callan Ward for more than a half - was tempered by the result of scans confirming that the cruel journey of one of the most coveted players in the game has taken another heartbreaking turn.
A pall fell over the lowest MCG crowd of the season as Patton lay prone on the members’ wing two minutes into the second quarter, his face a picture of woe as he thumped his fist into the turf.
He limped off, unassisted but with head bowed, attempted some run-throughs along the boundary a few minutes later, but returned to the changerooms. He was taken to hospital for scans, with coach Leon Cameron saying after the Giants' 64-point win over Melbourne that club doctors were initially hopeful he had escaped serious damage.
‘‘You have this sinking feeling for the first 15 seconds," Cameron said. "I actually didn’t know ... then all of a sudden you look and see him down there and he’s obviously under a fair bit of stress.
‘‘Our thoughts go out to him and his family ... he’s had such a bad run with injuries, and this year he’s been so good for us.’’
The 21-year-old ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in his 10th game last April, having missed the first half of 2012 after undergoing surgery in Sweden for patella tendonitis, a complaint that pre-dated his selection as the first pick of the 2011 draft.
He had been living up to his huge promise this season, and entered Sunday’s clash having kicked 25 goals from 18 games and with speculation already growing that he would be the prime target of the many clubs aching for a key forward. Now, he might not play again before coming out of contract at the end of 2015.
Teammate Dylan Shiel, who was next to Patton when he landed awkwardly in a marking contest, backed him to bounce back. ‘‘Jonny’s been terrific this year,’’ Shiel said. "He's had some pretty big setbacks in his first three years, but I'm sure he'll rehab his knee the way he always has, and that's 100 per cent, and he'll be back stronger than ever."
