Awful Josh Gibcus news confirmed as AFL fans savage Channel 7 over 'horrible' move

Channel 7 are copping it from AFL fans over an inexplicable move after Josh Gibcus' heartbreaking injury in Richmond's loss to Carlton on Thursday night. The Tigers confirmed on Friday afternoon that Gibcus ruptured his right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after landing awkwardly following a contest in the Blues' 12.14 (86) to 12.9 (81) win.

Gibcus needs a knee reconstruction that will sideline him for the rest of the season and the defender seemed to realise the extent of the injury right away. The 20-year-old looked absolutely devastated as he received attention from trainers while lying on the field with his head in his hands. It comes as a crushing new blow after the Richmond player didn't feature at all in 2023 due to a hamstring issue.

He was eventually taken from the ground on a medicab, but not before Channel 7 showed a number of replays of the youngster's devastating injury. Showing replays of an injury that isn't particularly gruesome is part and parcel of televised sport.

But it was the manner in which Channel 7 showed the replays that left TV viewers gobsmacked. The broadcasters decided Gibcus' heartbreak was the perfect opportunity to use their gimmicky 'ultra zoom' product, zooming right in on the moment the ACL in his knee appeared to go.

AFL fans were left furious over the move, taking to social media to express their displeasure. Oliver Caffrey from AAP wrote: “Why do we have ultra zoom replays for suspected ACLs, but not for goal-line calls?”

Another posted: “Why does channel 7 need to go to ultra zoom for that? Poor gibcus, that’s horrible.” While a third added: "Why the hell do you need to Ultra Zoom that? Seriously have some respect."

Josh Gibcus injury 'gut-wrenching' for Richmond

Speaking after the game, Richmond coach Adem Yze described his player's latest injury setback as "gut-wrenching". Following confirming of the ACL rupture on Friday, the Tigers said they were devastated for the star after offering him their full support.

"We are all incredibly disappointed for Josh. It is horrible luck after what he has already encountered on the injury front in his short career," Tigers football performance manager Tim Livingstone said in a club statement. "Josh battled through last year with his head up and had put in a mountain of work to get himself back to full fitness for this season.

"We view Josh as a long-term player for us and an important part of our future, so we will give him all the support he needs and help him throughout his road to returning in 2025. He is still so young and has a lot of football ahead of him after this setback. We know, the character and professional he is, that he will attack his rehab first-class and return stronger."

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Experienced midfielder Dion Prestia also suffered a hamstring injury and was subbed out of the contest. Prestia has endured a number of soft-tissue injuries throughout his career, and Yze admitted they took a risk in playing him against the Blues.

Defender Tylar Young also failed a concussion test, which puts him in the 12-day protocols. Yze said: "I feel for (Prestia). It was always a risk with a five-day break. You talk about pride and being proud of the performance, on the back of a five-day break, a hot day on the Gold Coast, to be able to sustain that performance the whole night. Even with Dylan Grimes, we were rapt he got through the game, but there was always the risk with playing some of our older players after five-day break. We'll live and learn."

Carlton claim sixth-straight AFL win by under a goal

Carlton recorded their sixth win on the trot by under a goal, outlasting a wounded Richmond by five points at the MCG. Just six days after erasing a 46-point deficit to stun Brisbane, the Blues scored another thrilling victory.

Richmond had the ball in their forward 50 in the dying seconds, but the Blues hung on grimly. It means Carlton's past six wins have been by a combined total of 22 points.

"Because we've probably found ourselves in those moments a little bit more than what we'd like, the players are really embracing it," Carlton coach Michael Voss said. "They see it as a bit of a challenge when we find ourselves in that situation, but clearly we don't want to find ourselves there in the first place."

with AAP