St Kilda coach Peta Searle has highlighted the heavy on and off-field cost of serious knee injuries for semi-professional AFLW players after Saint Tarni White became the 11th player this season to go down with a suspected torn anterior cruciate ligament.

White, who left the field in tears moments into Sunday's one-point loss to Fremantle, appears to be the latest casualty of an alarming trend, while Collingwood star Ash Brazill suffered a suspected ACL rupture against Melbourne on Friday night.

Injury curse: St Kilda’s Tarni White left Moorabbin in tears with a suspected torn ACL yesterday. Credit:Getty Images

Women are between five and eight times more likely to suffer ACL injuries than men. The Demons have been hit particularly hard, accounting for four of 11 cases since the start of the pre-season.

The AFL has undertaken several initiatives in recent years to address this problem, working with La Trobe University to undertake research into the area, while also developing a “Prep to Play” program to help with injury prevention exercises. The league has also indicated it is keen to explore a possible link between the menstrual cycle and ACL injuries.