Essendon's AFLW finals hopes have suffered a major setback after scans confirmed ruck Steph Wales sustained a serious knee injury.
Should the eighth-placed Bombers lock in their finals spot, Wales will be absent after rupturing her ACL in their round nine draw with Richmond.
Wales was stretchered off in the Darwin clash after her right knee buckled in a ruck contest, just minutes after Tigers player Sarah Hosking was forced off with a hamstring injury.
Wales is the Bombers' sole ruck option, with her injury spelling trouble for their must-win clash against Carlton in the final round of the regular season.
The 21-year-old bears the brunt of most ruck contests, with 234 hitouts this season to be seventh in the league.
In comparison, makeshift rucks Ellyse Gamble and Sophie Alexander only have 12 hitouts each.
"We are shattered for Steph after scans this morning confirmed she has ruptured her ACL," Bombers medical services boss Megan Smith said.
"We will seek a surgical opinion and advice on next steps over the coming days."
If the Bombers fumble their chance against the 14th-placed Blues, Melbourne or Geelong could steal their spot with wins in their respective matches.
The ninth-placed Demons (20) are two points adrift of Essendon and can easily leapfrog them into eighth with victory over Collingwood.
Geelong will share the same points as the Bombers if they beat Adelaide but they will boast a higher percentage to sneak into the top eight.
Melbourne, facing the prospect of missing the finals for the first time since 2019, are sweating on the fitness of superstar skipper Kate Hore (quad) and defender Gabby Colvin (concussion).
