Geelong defender Josh Hunt has been ruled out of the 2009 season before it even began. Scans today confirmed that the premiership player ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and will require knee reconstruction surgery.

Hunt, who turns 27 today, was chasing a loose ball when his left knee simply buckled beneath him in the first quarter Friday nights NAB Cup grand final and had to be carried of on a stretcher.

Geelong coach Mark Thompson was already expecting the worst as he stated after the game.

“That’s the risk you take – it wouldn’t have mattered if we were playing in this game or in another game,”

Geelong said in a statement that Hunt will undergo surgery during the week.

Meanwhile Geelong skipper Tom Harley is almost ready to return to the field after having complications with knee surgery.