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Collingwood defender Jeremy Howe has had surgery on the broken forearm he sustained in the Magpies' opening-round win over Geelong and will be sidelined for an indefinite period.
- Howe was stretchered from the field during the third quarter of Friday night's match
- He had surgery on his broken arm on Saturday
- The Magpies have not given a timeline on when they expect Howe to return to playing duties
Howe fractured his left forearm on Friday night in a horrific marking-contest collision at the MCG with Geelong's Tyson Stengle, which sent him flying in the air before landing heavily.
The 32-year-old was in agony after the collision, and play was held up for several minutes while he was stretchered off the field.
The Seven Network opted not to show replays of the incident during its broadcast.
"We are disappointed for Jeremy, who suffered a compound fracture in his forearm during the game last night," Collingwood's general manager of football Graham Wright said in a statement on Saturday.
"He underwent scans last night and had surgery earlier today.
"Jeremy is a respected leader of our program who really puts his body on the line — our priority is making sure his welfare is supported through his recovery."
The Magpies did not confirm how long Howe would be on the sidelines.
Coach Craig McRae and captain Darcy Moore paid tribute to the key defender, while Collingwood players made a point of going to Howe as a group before he left the field.
"We all love him. So when you see one of the guys go down — and one of the really good guys — you think that's going to be a cost somewhere," McRae said.
Moore was emotional immediately after the match, telling the Seven Network it was heartbreaking to see Howe injured.
"It's pretty distressing, and it's pretty messed up. We have to forget about it and get on with the job," Moore said.
"It's a horrible part of the game, but we expect nothing less from Jeremy; he's an incredible teammate, and he puts his body on the line."
AAP