AFL injury list: Callan Ward ACL injury to be confirmed by scans

Callan Ward’s AFL career is likely over, although the GWS veteran will hold off on scans until later this week which will confirm the shattering blow.

Even an Adam Kingsley spray so loud Lachie Whitfield said you could “hear it from Bondi” couldn’t spark Greater Western Sydney at quarter time on Saturday.

Their spiritual leader Callan Ward had gone down, and the Giants’ grief was being displayed on the field.

Richmond was belting what Whitfield described as a “shithouse” Giants side and there was nothing Kingsley could do to stop the rot.

So it was fitting Ward’s three-quarter time speech on a torn ACL sparked a famous victory in what will be his final chapter as an active GWS player.

The Giants said on Sunday Ward had travelled to Melbourne on Saturday night to be with his family and would consult with his surgeon later in the week about his options.

But the clinical assessment of a torn ACL was so clear that no one is in any doubt about the season-ending nature of his injury.

Ward told his teammates in the rooms post-match he would be with them every step of the way as they chased the premiership dream which will now elude him.

After some recovery time after his surgery he will be back doing whatever is possible to see the Giants succeed in the pursuit of a maiden premiership.

Callan Ward is helped from the field after injuring his knee.

Ward leads GWS from the field on crutches.

His swan song season has taken a disastrous turn but a player reaching Lenny Hayes levels of AFL adulation departed with an emotional flourish.

Whitfield’s kiss and hug for Ward as he lay down on the bench with a towel covering his tears will be one of the year’s most iconic images.

Post-match Whitfield said that one final emotional rev-up at three quarter time was just as emotional as the Giants surged past Richmond through Callum Brown’s go-ahead goal.

“Wardy has been here for ever, been here since day one and he’s the heart and soul of this footy club,” he said.

“To see it, it hurts a lot because he’s already been through one and it looks like the end.

“It had a bit of a sombre effect on the team and you don’t want to blame that because our contest was pretty shithouse”.

“(Kingsley) was pretty filthy. It was one of the bigger sprays he has given. It was pretty warranted and he told us what he thought at quarter time.”

As Whitfield told 3AW, the Tigers should have kicked GWS out of the contest but instead left the door ajar with wayward shots on goal before Ward stepped up at three quarter time.

“We would have done Wardy a disservice if we rolled over and died,” he said.

Inspirational.

Despite his injury, Cal Ward fires up his team before the final term.#AFLGiantsTigerspic.twitter.com/C4hJdIsbkW

— AFL (@AFL) May 31, 2025

“It was pretty dismal for half the day out there but Wardy can be pretty convincing at times so it was good to finish the game off for him.

“He just said he wants us all to be reliable to each other: ‘Everyone play the system and play it well and you can get results from that’.

“We ended up being reliable to each other in that last quarter and you see the result.”

“He is smiling, he’s being himself and to be in that situation and make it not about him and keep smiling and make sure everyone else is having a good time, he’s always like that. It’s so sad.”