Dutton-Black injured his knee in the opening stages of last Sunday’s game against Lambton Jaffas and will require surgery to repair his anterior cruciate ligament.

“We were hoping it might have been a four or five week injury, but unfortunately scans delivered the worst news and it’s an ACL which will require surgery and ends his season,” Magpies coach Mick Bolch said.

Dutton-Black had a delayed start to the season, but was returning to some of his best form since joining the club from the UK.

“It’s a real blow for him, the club and his teammates as he is a really popular member of the squad,” Bolch said.

It’s likely that Dutton-Black will return to the UK for surgery and return for the 2019 Northern NSW NPL season with Maitland.

The Magpies will welcome back defender Grant Brown for this weekend’s clash against top side Broadmeadow Magic at Magic Park on Sunday. Brown missed the Jaffas clash because of work commitments.

Alex Read, Ryan Clarke and Mat Swan will be spend at least another week on the sidelines after also missing last weekend with injury.

However, the Magpies cautious management of injuries is starting to pay dividends with key players Matt Thompson and Matt Comerford both playing 90 minutes on Sunday.

The duo challenged each other for Maitland’s best, alongside captain Car Thornton, particularly in the second-half comeback when Maitland almost salvage a draw after trailing 3-2 at half-time.

“If we can repeat the second-half performance for a full 90 minutes against Magic on Sunday we are a very good chance of winning,” Bolch said. “They had outstanding games and the good news is that they are coming good from injury and I expect them to get even better in second half of the season.”