There was both good and bad news for flag favourites Geelong on the injury front on Monday with the club's worst fears on midfielder Brent Prismall confirmed.
But the news was much better for star forward Paul Chapman, who was cleared of any damage to his hamstring meaning he is a likely starter for the Cats' preliminary final clash against either the Bulldogs or Sydney in a fortnight's time.
Prismall however has definitely suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament after scans confirmed the worst possible outcome for the young midfielder.
The 22-year-old will undergo surgery on his knee later this week and is expected to miss most of next season as well.
Prismall's injury comes just as he was on the verge of finally establishing himself as a regular member of the Cats' line-up, having played 12 games this season after managing just 13 over his first two seasons.
His injury - which occurred in innocuous fashion when his knee simply buckled underneath him as he was being pursued by St Kilda veteran Robert Harvey on Sunday - left Cats' coach Mark Thompson saddened.
"He was in our best team for our first final and it was up to him whether he stayed there but he is a terrific young kid and it's a bit of a tragedy really because you really don't want to see that happen to any player in any team," Thompson said after the game.
Now the question is who will replace Prismall in the powerful Cats' line-up - which has won 41 of its past 43 matches with the club on track to win back-to-back flags for the first time since 1952.
The favourite is experienced midfielder James Kelly but he has been sidelined with a quad injury since round 20.
Kelly will undergo a fitness test before the preliminary final and will almost certainly come into the team if fit otherwise Prismall's place in the side is likely to go to David Wojcinski with Shannon Byrnes and Ryan Gamble also in contention.
Chapman meanwhile has been cleared of any damage to his hamstring after complaining of hamstring soreness during Sunday's match.
The star forward was unusually quiet with just seven disposals in the first half, before spending much of the second half on the bench, but has been cleared to resume training and will benefit greatly by having next weekend off ahead of the preliminary final in a fortnight's time.
And reigning Norm Smith Medalist Steve Johnson and veteran defender Darren Milburn were also cleared of minor niggles meaning the Cats should have a full list to pick from - apart from Prismall and long-term foot victim Matthew Egan - for their preliminary final showdown against either the Bulldogs or the Swans.