Collingwood has confirmed that defender Reef McInnes sustained an ACL injury in today's VFL game against Essendon.

McInnes left the field in the first quarter, with scans late this afternoon confirming the injury to his left knee.

EGM Football Charlie Gardiner said:

"Reef’s injury is incredibly disappointing news, particularly given the commitment and hard work he has put in over the past 12 months to return from his right ACL,”

“He's an outstanding character and has shown enormous resilience and positivity to get back to playing. While this is undoubtedly a difficult setback, our entire program will be behind Reef every step of the way during his recovery.”