The promising North Albury tall had his worst fears confirmed with news he had torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee for the second time in less than a year.

He suffered the injury following a simple mishap at training last Thursday.

It’s a huge blow for the struggling Hoppers, who were relying on Lloyd to fill a major hole up forward following a string of key departures from Bunton Park over the summer.

But he remained defiant when contacted yesterday and stuck by his embattled club.

“There’s no point sitting around feeling sorry for myself,” Lloyd, 23, said.

“It’s done now.

“I’ve just got to get it fixed and come back stronger again.

“I’ll still be around helping because I love the place and they’ve been good to me.”

Lloyd will again meet leading AFL surgeon Julian Feller to discuss his surgery options, however, a full reconstruction and 12 months out looks the most likely scenario.

Lloyd, who is regarded as one of North Albury’s best young players, was first injured in February last year.

He made a faster than expected recovery and played a handful of games late in the season, but lost his spot for the finals due to a lack of match fitness.

The ruckman-forward earned plenty of praise from coach Jason Akermanis when the Brownlow medallist first took charge last year.