Egan ruled out for 2008

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Geelong's All Australian defender Matthew Egan has been ruled out for the remainder of 2008 with a foot injury.

Egan has not played since Round 22 last year when he first suffered the injury which cost him a spot in Geelong's premiership-winning side.

After missing much of the pre-season, Egan was placed on the long-term injury list a few weeks ago in the first signs that his recovery was taking longer than expected.

He had scans late last week which indicated he would need further surgery. It means he will not be able to train until the start of 2009.

"This is obviously devastating for Matthew, his team mates and everyone associated with our team," Geelong's assistant general manager of football operations Steve Hocking said.

"Matthew is an incredibly mentally strong individual and we know that while he is down at the moment, he will overcome this setback and come back at his best in 2009."

Egan, a former talented junior tennis player, was picked up as a 21-year-old by the Cats with pick No.64 of the 2004 AFL Draft.

His rapid improvement mirrored the Cats' own brilliant form last season and he was rewarded with the centre half-back spot in the All Australian team.

But the injury suffered in the final match of the home and away season against Brisbane would now appear to be career-threatening with the likelihood that he could miss close to two years of football.