The Gold Coast SUNS can confirm defender Rory Thompson ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament during Friday morning’s training session.

Thompson was sent for scans following a relatively innocuous incident, with results confirming the key tall had sustained the injury to his left knee.

“It’s unfortunate for Rory, as he’d put together a really strong pre-season which has seen him complete the majority of the program,” General Manager of Football Operations Jon Haines said.

“Rory is a much loved member of our playing group, we’ll make sure the Gold Coast family will support him thoroughly throughout the recovery process.

“After playing 17 games last season and having some great consistency throughout the pre-season we were looking forward to Rory playing a key role for the club down back this year.

“As an entire club, we’ll make sure we get behind Rory to help him get through the next 12 months.”

All options will be considered as the club work to determine the next course of action regarding surgery.