A severe leg injury to a Dubbo Demons players overshadowed Saturday's AFL Central West women's match against the Bathurst Giants.
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The Demons were leading the Giants approaching half-time in the much-anticipated top-of-the-table clash when Kristen Coady was trapped awkwardly under a tackle and suffered a serious injury to her lower leg.
Half-time was called and the game was put on hold for roughly an hour as ambulance treatment was required at the ground.
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While not using the incident as an excuse for what finished a 6.3.39 to 4.1.25 defeat, Demons coach Peter Martinoli said he and a number of players were shaken by it.
"It was really hard for everyone to focus on footy again after seeing one of our girls taken to hospital," Martinoli said.
"I know I struggled to concentrate on coaching and I'm sure the girls found it hard to concentrate on playing."
Martinoli handed debuts to three new players on Saturday and he said they, in particular, were shocked by the injury.
"A lot of the girls were pretty shaken by it," he added.
"For the three debutants to see that in their first game is pretty confronting but you just try to reassure them that it is just a freak accident.
"That doesn't happen often, I've seen that maybe twice in 18 years of playing."
Coady faces a period of recovery now but Martinoli added she was in relatively high spirits, with the main frustration being she won't be back out on the footy field any time soon.
Working on new combinations and plans in Coady's absence will be a focus this week as the Demons prepare to welcome to the Orange Tigers to South Dubbo Oval on Saturday.
The loss to the Giants drops to Demons back to second on the ladder after the the two sides entered the round seven clash level on points at the top.
While it was disappointing to lose a home match to a rival, there were still positives for the Demons.
"The fact that we were up by a goal at half-time shows we have the ability to run with the best when we've got strength," Martinoli said.
"Having 23 available players and nine on the bench was a bit of a nightmare for me to manage but it's great to have that kind of depth and that many numbers to keep rotations up."
Keeghan Tucker and Trudy Sloane kicked two goals each for the Demons in the loss.
The Giants, who are now four points clear at the top of the ladder, didn't come through the match unscathed either.
Hailee Taylor and Amanda Scrivenor suffered knee and hand injuries respectively and both now face extended periods on the sideline.
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