Kim Mickle's hopes of defending her javelin crown at next year's Commonwealth Games are hanging by a thread with scans confirming she has torn the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee.
Mickle will miss the rest of the AFLW season after suffering the injury during her Dockers debut in Sunday's loss to Brisbane.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast is less than 14 months away, leaving Mickle with little time to get herself up to full speed.
Mickle's decision to compete in the inaugural season of the AFLW was always fraught with risk, and her punt backfired badly.
The 32-year-old entered the competition having undergone two shoulder reconstructions within the past 18 months.
The seriousness of her shoulder woes were on full display at last year's Rio Olympics when she suffered a horrific dislocation while throwing in the qualifying round.
It remains unclear what effect Mickle's knee injury will have on her javelin career.
Mickle, the 2013 world championships silver medallist, will consult surgeons before deciding what course of action to take.
"The results of the scans were quite a shock," Mickle said.
"I didn't expect this to be a major injury at all, but you win some and you lose some, and now I just want to look ahead to what my options are and determine a course of action for my recovery."
Fremantle women's coach Michelle Cowan was confident Mickle would be able to bounce back.
"It's devastating news for Kim but she is a person of great character," Cowan said.
"I have no doubt that she'll tackle this new challenge head on, and come back just as strong for it."
Midfielder Brianna Green will also miss the rest of the season after breaking her collarbone against the Lions.
Fremantle's hopes of winning this year's title already appear slim after opening their season with two straight losses.
Mickle said she would do everything she could off the field to help her teammates.
"I'm really keen to be involved with the girls in some capacity," Mickle said.
"We'll work out what that looks like with the club over the next week or so."
