ADELAIDE rookie Chris Schmidt will undergo a shoulder reconstruction on Saturday and miss the rest of the season.

Schmidt, 20, was selected at No.26 in last year’s NAB AFL Rookie Draft after playing two games in two years with the Brisbane Lions.

He injured his shoulder at training in April and coach Neil Craig said he had showed resilience to play through the pain barrier. He has since shown good form for West Adelaide and was selected in the SANFL team to play the WAFL last weekend.

“Chris has played with the shoulder injury for the last month because I actually wanted to see a bit more of him, so he’s done a fantastic job to play,” Craig said on Thursday.

“The decision was, if he could continue to play, the end of May was the time for him to go and have the operation done, so that if things do fall his way he’ll be ready for pre-season which is really important for him.”

Unlucky forward Trent Hentschel is also recovering from knee surgery.

Hentschel, 26, had an arthroscopy on Monday night and Craig hopes he will return to the field again this season.

“The surgeon was really pleased with the way it went and they were pleased with what they saw from Trent’s knee internally. They were certainly able to do something for him, which they think will be of benefit,” Craig said.

“We’ve got to be careful that we don’t try and bring him back too fast because with the cutting that had to happen it needs time to heal.

“I’m really confident that Trent can come back. I don’t know why, it’s just a gut feel, but I just think he’ll get back and I hope he does because he’s put a lot of time back into that rehab.”

The Adelaide players will wear black armbands against Hawthorn at AAMI Stadium on Sunday in memory of 18-year-old St Peters student, Jack Klemich, who died of meningococcal disease on Monday night.

The Klemich family, through its real estate business, is a long-serving sponsor of the club. Klemich Real Estate took over as Hentschel’s player sponsor this season.

Craig said Jake Klemich’s tragic death served as a good dose of reality.

“A player misses a handball or you get criticised as a coach…in reality compared to what that family is going through, it’s nothing.”