ADELAIDE defender Andy Otten will spend 12 months on the sidelines after scans on his right knee revealed it required a reconstruction.
The 25-year-old ruptured his ACL in the second quarter of Sunday's 105-point win over the Brisbane Lions and has opted for traditional surgery rather than LARS.
The procedure will be Otten's second, after a pre-season training accident in late 2009 saw him undergo a reconstruction of his left knee.
He thanked the football community for its support.
“I would like to thank everyone for their well wishes and messages of support in the last 24 hours,” Otten said.
“Sadly, I can’t change what has happened, despite really wishing I could. I know what is ahead of me and will tackle this setback head on.”
Season 2014 has proved incredibly unlucky for the versatile defender, who missed the first two months after hyperextending his left knee in a trial game against Greater Western Sydney.
Last Sunday's game was his 11th straight since returning to the senior line-up in round 10.
Teammate Taylor Walker, who returned earlier this season from his own knee reconstruction, said Otten's previous experience in handling the injury bode well for a successful recovery.
"He's been there before and so have I, so I'm sure he'll do everything right and he'll put his best foot forward," Walker said.
The news was better for teammate Tom Lynch, who suffered only a jarred neck after ducking into an approaching opponent.
Lynch momentarily lost feeling in his right arm after the incident but scans on his neck revealed no structural damage.
Incredibly, Walker even tipped Lynch to make himself available for selection later this week.
"I was right next to him and he was saying he couldn't feel his right arm," he said.
"He went and got scans and all have come back well.
"He's a professional player and we all love him so he'll do what he has to this week to get up."
