The former Yarrawonga champion suffered the injuries early in the final quarter of the Picola ad District league clash on Saturday.

Rennie president Andrew Starr said the injury sent a huge scare around the ground.

“He was backing into a marking contest and coped a knee,” Starr said.

“There was nothing really in it.

“It was just one of those freaky things that happen in footy from time to time.

“I guess he was in the wrong spot at the wrong time.”

Ednie, who has led Rennie to four wins from six matches this season and helped the club break a 42-match losing streak, is set to spent several more days at Wangaratta hospital.

“Originally, we were worried it might have been a bit of kidney but it turned out to be his ribs and lung,” Starr said.

“They will monitor him for a few days.

“Without knowing the full diagnosis, I think he’s certainly thinking it might be an eight-week injury.

“We will be guided by what the doctors say though.”

In a dramatic day on the injury front, Ednie was one of five players to be badly hurt.

Hopper teammate Cooper Bennett suffered a broken collarbone and will also miss a large chunk of the season.

Tungamah didn’t escape injury either with veteran forward Damian Payne taken to hospital with four fractures in his cheekbone.

Payne, who was hurt in the second term but played out the game at Tungamah, said the injuries would end his career.

“This will be it for me,” he said.

“I’m sick of getting injured with work and everything.

“I wasn’t going to play on this year but these things happen.

“I’ll go to Melbourne and see a specialist but the people at Wangaratta seem to think the fractures are sitting OK.”

Tungamah’s Glenn Dominick (compound dislocation of finger) and Jacob Sampson (ankle) were also taken to Wangaratta hospital.

“I think five of us ended up at the same hospital,” Payne said.

“We all know each other and ran into each other at some stage.

“There was nothing really in the game, it was just one of those things where it all happened in the one game.

“I went and and saw Craig on my way out.

“My Mrs actually got us a picture of us old fellas being all banged up.”

Although Shepparton East sit on top of the south west ladder, Tungamah is only a game behind after losing to the ladder leader by two points in round two.

Rennie is the league’s big improver in third place after being starved of success in recent years.