Wangaratta gun Jackson Clarke is resigned to missing the rest of the year after Wangaratta was forced to play the final 50 minutes of Saturday's game against Albury a player short, due to injuries. The Pies had five players ruled out by the 10-minute mark of the third quarter of its home game, meaning it had only 17 available players in the top three clash. It's possibly the first time that has happened in a recent senior Ovens and Murray League clash. Albury had a 26-point break when Pies' coach Ben Reid limped off with a hamstring complaint early in the third term, with the visitors posting a 49-point win. Murray Waite (ankle), Callum Moore (concussion), Michael Newton (knee) and Mat Grossman (calf) joined the procession to the bench. That came on top of powerful midfielders Clarke and Matt Kelly (knee) already being unavailable, while Hunter Gottschling played for Geelong in the VFL and another VFL player in Brad Melville (Richmond) committed to the Tigers for the rest of the season. It meant by the end of the match the Pies were without nine automatic selections. "I've never seen that before, it was bizarre," Reid said. Waite was on crutches after the game, but the club is hoping he will recover quickly, while Moore should be available to play Wodonga Raiders on August 5. However, there's greater concern over veterans Reid, Grossman and Newton. "'Juice' (Newton) looks sore, I've done a hamstring, it's only the second one I've done, I've had more calves (injuries) and I'm not sure 'Grossy' has done the same calf he did earlier in the year, if he has, that's a concern," Reid explained. Fellow veteran Kelly has suffered a lateral ligament injury and Reid is hoping he will miss only another two games, but the loss of Clarke is a monumental blow. "I just got the result back today (Saturday) and I've torn my Lisfranc (foot), I believe it's my season (over), but I'll meet with the surgeon next Tuesday," he said. After a slow start, Clarke had been sensational until he suffered the injury when tackled in the second quarter against Yarrawonga on July 8. "It's disappointing, knowing what success at the end of the year feels like, but what the boys showed today is we've got a lot of grit," he offered. Wangaratta won last year's grand final against Yarrawonga, but had the premiership stripped by the Ovens and Murray Football Netball League board after breaking the salary cap. The Pies are desperate to win this year's flag and still hold down third spot, albeit on percentage from Wangaratta Rovers, but the injuries could derail those dreams. The league has a general Hall of Fame bye on Saturday, July 29, with four rounds remaining. To read more stories, download The Border Mail news app in the Apple Store or Google Play. Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: