GIANTS defender Matt Buntine will undergo a knee reconstruction that will see him miss the rest of the 2017 season.

After suffering a right knee injury at training on Wednesday that required further investigation, scans revealed a far more serious pre-existing injury by way of a partially torn ACL.

He’ll undergo a full conventional knee reconstruction next week.

GIANTS General Manager Football Wayne Campbell said it was disappointing set back for the popular 23-year old. 

“After feeling some discomfort at training on Wednesday, Matt underwent scans to initially investigate what was thought to be a meniscus injury, but these scans revealed a partially torn ACL that appears to be a pre-existing injury,” Campbell said.

“This is obviously quite a rare set of circumstances, given there has been no cause to investigate any injury in relation to Matt’s knee before this and it appears he’s been playing with it for a number of years.

“This is obviously devastating news for Matt and we will now map out the best rehabilitation course for him to return to his best. 

“Matt is a person of great integrity and character and has the full support of the entire club during this challenging time.”