Forward Nick Larkey will miss the rest of North Melbourne's season, coach Alastair Clarkson has confirmed.
Larkey exacerbated the PCL injury to his right knee after a heavy landing in Sunday's narrow defeat to St Kilda.
The forward was in a knee brace when the AFL team trained at Arden St on Friday, and Clarkson confirmed to reporters Larkey would not be able to return for the Kangaroos' closing three home-and-away games.
"He'll miss the rest of the season unfortunately," Clarkson said.
"PCLs are difficult injuries to manage. When you crunch your knee into the ground like he did in that marking contest, there was only going to be damage.
"We've just got to look after that now and put him in a brace and he'll get himself right for next year.
Clarkson said he had reflected on his disappointment in the aftermath of the incident.
"You're filled with so much emotion that one of your leading players has just returned from a PCL injury and now he's going to miss the rest of the year.
"I was so disappointed for him and disappointed for us, knowing full well that as soon as he hobbled and couldn't take his kick, I knew what had happened.
"And sort of disappointed in myself a little bit that I didn't let him know before the game that leading at flat-out pace … was going to put him at the most risk.
"It got the better of me in the post-match (press conference), but on reflection, I looked at the incident and did the St Kilda defenders do anything that our defenders wouldn't have done in terms of trying to force the contest? Probably not."
