Richmond midfielder Jack Ross is facing another lengthy stint on the sidelines after suffering a concussion in the second quarter of Saturday night’s clash against Carlton.
Blues midfielder Lachie Cowan was waiting under a high handball on the boundary line as Ross came charging in to put pressure on.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Jack Ross ruled out after heavy head collision
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today
Ross ended up awkwardly crashing into Cowan with his head making contact with the Carlton player’s shoulder.
His head also hit the ground hard front in front of the interchange bench.
“He’s in trouble, he led with the head … I think he’s in a bit of strife,” David King said on Fox Footy.
Ross looked dazed and went down to the rooms for a head injury assessment before being ruled out with a concussion.
It’s the second concussion in the space of a month for the 25-year-old.
After the Round 12 match against Sydney, Ross had delayed concussion symptoms and was placed into protocols.
The Tigers had the bye the following week, but he then missed the next two matches as he struggled to overcome the injury.
He was cleared to return last week against Collingwood, but this latest knock puts his season in doubt.
Ross has been one of Richmond’s better players this year, averaging 23 disposals and five tackles a game — both career-highs.
Carlton also lost a player to concussion with Lewis Young coming from the field in the third quarter and not returning.
Young was a late inclusion for boom youngster Harry Dean, who was withdrawn on the eve of the match with a cut hand.
The injuries took the gloss off a thrilling two-point victory to Carlton.
Richmond made a hot start with five goals in the first quarter as they hunted just their third win of the season.
The Tigers led by as many as 19 points in the second term before the Blues kicked into gear five straight goals to take a eight-point lead into the long break.
Carlton looked like cruising to a hard-fought victory when they led by 14 points late in the final quarter, but Richmond almost pulled off a miracle comeback in the final two minutes.
Mykelti Lefau kicked a goal after a contentious rushed behind free kick against Nick Haynes before Seth Campbell set up a frantic final minute when he kicked truly after receiving a free kick for a high tackle.
The Tigers won the next centre clearance, but Carlton successfully held on with a string of clutch tackles to seal their seventh win in a row.
Staring at a wasted year when Michael Voss was sacked, the Blues have squared the ledger at 8-8 and jumped from 16th to 10th under their unassuming interim coach.
Under the newly introduced wildcard round, Carlton are currently in a finals position that seemed totally out of reach two months ago.
The Blues now face a defining month of games against Hawthorn, Collingwood, Gold Coast and Brisbane that will decide whether they progress to the post-season.
Carlton had to endure some nervous moments in the last quarter when the lead was cut to nine points, but held their nerve against the young Tigers to avoid an upset.
Rugged midfielder George Hewett, who was dropped during Voss’s finals weeks as coach, slotted the match-winning goal to cap off a best-on-ground performance.
Rising Star favourite Jagga Smith was superb with a game-high 29 possessions, earning the praise of former Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley.
In radio commentary, Hinkley compared him to in-demand Power superstar Zak Butters.
In a match that didn’t reach any great heights, tensions boiled over on quarter-time after a heated exchange between Blues ace Sam Walsh and Tigers youngster Jasper Alger.
The normally level-headed Walsh ran to push Alger over, giving away a free kick.
Alger booted the goal to give Richmond their best first quarter (5.3) of the season.
Nearly all players converged into the melee, forcing a late entry into their respective huddles.
Veteran forward Tom Lynch had a forgettable night, failing to redeem himself from the corresponding game earlier in the season when he kicked 2.7 in a close loss to the Blues.
Lynch sprayed his first set shot of the game, then kicked his two other shots on goal out on the full, stranding him on 499 career goals.
— With AAP