Prized St Kilda recruit Max King might have to wait until next year for his AFL debut because of an ankle injury.
While last November's No.4 draft pick has avoided another knee reconstruction, he is still out of action for several weeks.
The No.4 draft pick landed awkwardly in a marking contest during the first quarter of Sandringham's clash with Werribee on Sunday afternoon at Trevor Barker Oval.
There were initially fears that he had ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament again in his right knee.
Scans confirmed there is no serious knee damage, but the news is not so good about the ankle.
King was on the verge of his AFL debut, possibly as early as this weekend.
"It turns out he's got a syndesmosis ankle injury that might look like 4-6 weeks or more. It was an awkward moment," Saints football boss Simon Lethlean told SEN on Monday.
"Max was heading in the right way, his career at the Saints is going to be 15 years, so we're not too fussed at the impact he has at senior level in 2019.
"It would be lovely to get him out there because he's good enough ... but there will be no hurry."
Earlier on Monday, King spoke of the good news about his knee.
"It didn't feel great - I just landed on it really poorly," he said.
"But I guess it's a good sign that the knee held up structurally.
"It was a bit of a scary moment though."
King's parents were at the game and were emotional after the incident.
He left the field for assessment and was quickly sent for scans, which ruled out a fresh ACL tear.
King was playing his fifth VFL game back from the knee reconstruction and there was speculation before this setback that he would make his AFL debut in Saturday's clash with Brisbane at Marvel Stadium.
Star recruit Dan Hannebery had a solid hitout for Sandringham and should make his Saints debut against the Lions.
Western Bulldogs star Tom Liberatore has also escaped an ACL tear but will require exploratory surgery to determine the extent of cartilage damage from an incident in Saturday night's thrilling win over Carlton.
Liberatore has undergone two knee reconstructions.
