Russells Creek goalkeeper Marino Vickers suffers season-ending injury

Creekers goal keeper Marino Vickers went down towards the end of the second quarter of Saturday's round one clash against South Rovers following a contest in the ring.

Spending the afternoon in emergency, it was confirmed by ultrasound on Monday that Vickers had ruptured her Achilles tendon and torn a calf muscle.

Coach Stacy Dunkley said Vickers' absence would be a bitter blow for the team.

"It's pretty unlucky to happen in the first round and we're all terribly sorry for her," Dunkley said. "And I believe it's her second Achilles injury. That position is definitely open and I've got to find a solution to fill that void. Otherwise it'll be rotating our squad until we can find someone."

Dunkley lauded under 17 player Tahlee Dannatt, who came on for Vickers and made her senior A grade debut in the process.

The Creekers were further hampered by the on-court absence of Dunkley, who faced a minor injury scare in the opening minute of the game.

Returning from an Achilles tear of her own, the mentor said she felt a twinge in her opposite knee and lost the power to dodge.

"It was almost like a strain in the knee ligaments so I've just been resting," she said. "I knew not to push it."

Coaching on the sidelines, Dunkley had the vantage to see the progress of her team. She said working on mental toughness would be a major focus moving forward.

"The first half there was nice flow and the girls worked really well together," she said. "It wasn't until our injuries kind of happened, I suppose we got a little unsteady and lost focus. We need to build on that and learn not to drop our heads when things go wrong."

Russells Creek host Timboon at Mack Oval on Saturday.

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