BRISBANE has been dealt another blow with forward Eric Hipwood ruled out for the rest of the season.

Already sidelined with a calf strain, Hipwood will undergo surgery on his knee and miss the remainder of 2025.

Hipwood was due to return from his calf injury in the next 1-2 weeks, but a knee scan revealed an incidental finding of a partial tearing of his repaired ACL.

"Having Eric miss the finals series through injury is really devastating for him and his family and for us as a club," Lions general manager of football Danny Daly said

"Eric is an extremely valuable player and a premiership forward who was a key to helping the club experience the ultimate success last season.

"While we would love to have Eric out there this September, we will all be supporting him and playing for him during our finals campaign.

"It's an incredible effort by Eric to have been playing each week with this injury and still giving his all to the team regardless.

"We know he will do everything to get back playing as soon as he can and we look forward to having him return."

It is another blow for the Lions following their qualifying final loss to Geelong on Friday night.

Star midfielder Lachie Neale suffered a calf injury and will undergo scans in Brisbane on Saturday afternoon.

The Lions will host the winner of the elimination final between Fremantle and Gold Coast.