Collingwood has confirmed young ruck Oscar Steene sustained an ACL injury in last night’s AFL game against the Sydney Swans, after scans late today cleared up the damage to his left knee. Steene left the field in the third quarter of the six-point loss at the SCG.
The setback hits a player who only debuted earlier this year and had quickly become part of Collingwood’s youthful mix. Gardiner said Steene had worked extremely hard over the past few years to overcome injuries and earn his chance at AFL level, and described him as an exciting addition to the team since breaking through.
Collingwood’s loss was already a painful one, with the Pies’ young side edged by Sydney by six points in a game that showed both how much promise is in the group and how thin the margin is at AFL level. Steene’s injury now adds a long recovery to a night that finished with more questions than answers for the club.
Gardiner said the club would support Steene through the setback and backed his response, saying he is a resilient and determined young player who will put everything into his recovery. That is the next part of the story now: not the result at the SCG, but how Collingwood manages the loss of a 2025 draftee whose season has been cut short just as it was beginning to build.
