Smith, playing for North Ballarat’s reserve grade side in the VFL, was playing just his second match of the season on Sunday when he re-injured a hamstring.
The 22-year-old’s latest setback has almost certainly ended his 2009 season, a year that has proved a write-off for the young Kangaroo. North Melbourne is now likely to put him in cotton wool and seek further alternative treatments in a bid to resurrect his promising career.
After severely injuring an ankle in 2006, Smith battled back to show his enormous talent in 2007.
He has played just two games since, those both coming early last year after a series of hiccups, mostly relating to his hamstring.
North Melbourne football manager Donald McDonald confirmed Smith’s latest injury.
“Jesse came off the ground yesterday with hamstring soreness and didn’t take any further part in the match,” McDonald told kangaroos.com.au on Monday morning.
“Obviously we’re treating this latest setback very seriously, but we won’t know the extent of the injury until tonight after he has had scans.”
There was little good news at Arden Street following the club’s thrilling draw with Richmond on Sunday.
David Hale, Michael Firrito and Andrew Swallow all copped knocks in the gripping clash, while the club confirmed Jack Ziebell wouldn’t play again this year as he faced surgery to correct a hip problem.
That comes on top of his broken leg suffered in round 12 against Adelaide, although the Roos hope to have their star draftee up and going by the time pre-season comes around.
“Jack will have a very minor operation on his hip today,” McDonald said.
“Now is the right time for the procedure with respect to his rehabilitation from a broken leg. We recently determined Jack wouldn’t make it back in time to play any more matches this year, and therefore felt it timely that he has the minor operation now.”
“Jack will be able to get a solid pre-season under his belt … it’s not a significant injury [the hip], but something he’s been carrying for some time and needs to fix.”
Of more immediate concern is the fitness of the trio injured against the Tigers. Firrito and Swallow copped corkies and will have light weeks on the training track, while Hale could be in doubt for Saturday’s clash with the Brisbane Lions.
“David will also see the club doctor this evening after copping a heavy knock to the leg yesterday, so we’ll have to wait on word from (club doctor) Con Mitropoulos,” McDonald said.
