ESSENDON defender Lewis Hayes will miss the rest of the season after scans on Sunday confirmed a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
The 20-year-old suffered the devastating injury in his debut game at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.
Hayes was substituted out of the eight-point win over Sydney at the end of the third quarter after landing awkwardly in a marking contest.
The 20-year-old had collected 16 disposals and taken three marks at that point, producing a strong first appearance before the injury.
Essendon was all but certain on Saturday night that the 2022 pick No. 25 had torn his ACL, but needed scan results to confirm its fears.
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The Bombers have now lost four players to season-ending injuries since the end of March.
SSP signing Tom Edwards tore his ACL at training during the bye, before Nick Bryan suffered the same injury during Gather Round.
Free agent Sam Draper also ruptured his Achilles against West Coast last month.
