Josh Bruce’s heartbreak after suffering a potentially devastating ACL injury

Fans held their breath after a Western Bulldogs star was left writhing on the ground in agony as fears of a serious injury swirled.

Heartbreaking scenes for Josh Bruce. Photo by Michael Klein.

The Western Bulldogs were enjoying a stellar day in Ballarat when the collective hearts of their fan base broke in unison.

Former forward turned defender Josh Bruce fell to the turf in a marking contest and immediately clutched at his right knee.

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Bruce missed the Bulldogs run to the 2021 Grand Final after tearing his ACL and there are fears he may have done the same on Saturday against the GWS Giants.

Trainers ran out onto the ground and helped Bruce back to his feet before slowly making their way around the boundary line.

Fans watching on applauded the Bulldogs star as the emotion of the injury spread across his face.

Fingers crossed for Josh Bruce.

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The Dogs were in complete control of the contest in the opening half as they ran away to hold a 29-point halftime lead.

Midfield superstar Marcus Bontempelli was at his dominant best, racking up 19 first half possessions as the Dogs dominated their opponents.

But after Bruce went down, the momentum of the contest completely swung in the Giants favour.

Skipper Toby Greene put his side on his back as he booted four goals in the quarter to head into the final term trailing by only eight points.

Bruce instantly clutched at his knee. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

With the momentum behind them the Giants stormed home in another instant classic between the two sides.

A three goal to one final term saw the Giants emerge victorious with a 11.12 (78) to 10.13 (73) win.

The win launches them into fifth place on the later while it drops the Bulldogs down to seven place, only ahead of St Kilda on percentage.

The Bulldogs finish their season with games against Richmond, Hawthorn, West Coast and Geelong. Two wins should all but lock them into September.

For the Giants their final month is a lot tougher with games against Sydney, Port Adelaide, Essendon and Carlton.