Close, originally from Harrow, ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament while playing for the Brisbane Lions against North Melbourne during Sunday’s AFL match at Etihad Stadium.

RELATED: Harrow's Michael Close out for the rest of AFL season with ruptured ACL

He flew to Melbourne on Thursday for an appointment with a surgeon and will require a full knee reconstruction.

Close injured his knee after landing awkwardly in a marking contest in the first quarter.

He was trying to stop his momentum after an attempted mark near the boundary line in front of the interchange gates.

Close’s foot appeared to catch on the artificial turf on the boundary line, which is not even with the playing surface, and his knee buckled.

The Lions and the AFLPA have raised concerns that artificial turf surrounding the Etihad Stadium boundary could have contributed to Close’s injury.

Brisbane has flagged the possibility of demanding compensation from the AFL and Etihad Stadium for Close’s injury.

The AFLPA has enlisted a bio-mechanist to examine whether, or to what extent, the uneven surface contributed to the injury.

MORE: Footy HQ

Close said he believed the artificial turf could have caused his knee to buckle, but he was unsure.

‘‘I slid when I landed and I felt like something popped in my knee,’’ he said.

‘‘The AFL Players Association is onto the astro turf and they’ve had a bio-mechanist down to look at the ground.

‘‘My manager is onto it as well, so if it played any part we’ll know in the next couple of days.

‘‘Looking at it, it doesn’t look good, though.’’

Close said he was maintaining a positive outlook on the surgery and the prospect of a year on the sidelines.

‘‘When I got told I wasn’t too happy with it, but now I’ve got my head around it and I’m looking forward to spending a year in the gym,’’ he said.

‘‘I needed to put on some size anyway so it had given me a perfect opportunity to add some strength and come back bigger and stronger for next year.’’