Brendan Fevola's disappointing first season with the Brisbane Lions has come to a premature end after he was ruled out for the final four rounds with a groin injury.
The 29-year-old, who was traded north last October following a drunken display on Brownlow Medal night that was the final straw for the fed-up Blues, has kicked 48 goals for the Lions in 17 games in 2010.
But after an encouraging opening to the season in which he and fellow power forward Jonathan Brown were working well in tandem, things have gone pear-shaped for Brisbane and Fevola in recent months.
Fevola booted 39 goals in his first 11 games for his new club, with Brown slotting 35 in the same period, but by then the Lions' great start that saw them win their first four games was becoming a distant memory as their win-loss record reached 5-6.
Since then Fevola has managed only nine more goals in six matches with groin problems that have troubled him for much of the year also sidelining him for the Round 14 loss to former team Carlton at Etihad Stadium.
He returned with four goals the following week against St Kilda at the Gabba but has managed just two more in his three games since then and didn't trouble the scorers in last weekend's loss to Melbourne when he tore a groin muscle.
Fevola has also spent plenty of times in the headlines off the field since making the move to Queensland.
On the eve of the season he was embroiled in controversy when a nude photo of Lara Bingle, reportedly taken by Fevola when the pair had an affair in 2006, became public.
And the season was only weeks old when Fevola confirmed that he has a gambling addiction and has owed bookmakers hundreds of thousands of dollars, with the revelation reportedly resulting in the finance on a family home he was about to purchase falling over.
The Lions are confident that another of their recruits, former St Kilda star Xavier Clarke, will only miss one match with a hamstring strain after he injured himself in his debut game for his new club.
Clarke played 105 games with the Saints after making his debut in 2002 but managed just nine in his final two years at Moorabbin, including none in 2009, as injuries that included a knee reconstruction plagued him.
"I think it's only really going to cost him one week so that's some good news from our end," said coach Michael Voss.
"Hopefully we can still get a couple of games into him before the end of the season."