The hush over the MCG said it all.

The Blues burst out of the blocks against Adelaide with intensity and energy not seen this season, kicking the first three goals.

• Judd’s career over? Crows pip Blues in thriller
• Why Chris Judd captured minds but not hearts
• Judd stays cool with aggressive football fan

They were ferocious and the Carlton crowd loved it, roaring with approval, almost as if they were starting to believe again.

But then they fell silent.

Hearts were in mouths as soon as Chris Judd, slumped to the ground in pain with a knee injury, started to frantically wave his arm.

He was in trouble. And he knew it. At 31, this is probably it for Judd, particularly given he was set to retire last season.

Scans confirm that @cjayfive has ruptured the ACL in his left knee. More details to follow in the coming days. #NAVYBLUES #AFLBluesCrows

— Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) June 6, 2015

Judd is a defiant man whose first battles with his body came well before he was even drafted by West Coast at pick three in the 2001 AFL draft.

Shoulder problems had a big impact on his junior career and the extensive taping of both was one of Judd’s hallmarks.

He tried to fight his body again and walk off with trainers but it failed him this time, eventually succumbing to the stretcher with a knowing look of resignation.

Celebrating one of his many running goals for the Eagles. Photo: Getty

The esteem Judd is held in by all football fans was shown when both Carlton and Adelaide fans rose to their feet as he left the ground.

And Judd, knowing he had probably played his last game, waved back.

Blessed with great speed, power and an ability to run all day, Judd made an immediate impact at the Eagles, playing 22 matches in his first season at the club.

Just two years later, less than a fortnight after turning 21, Judd won his first Brownlow Medal.

The awards kept coming and so did Judd’s line-breaking.

In a losing Grand Final in 2005 (Sydney won by four points), Judd won the Norm Smith Medal.

His side would exact revenge one year later, famously beating the Swans by one point in a thrilling Grand Final sequel, giving Judd the one honour he truly wanted: a premiership.

Watch some of Judd’s West Coast brilliance below

Carlton

At the end of the 2007 season Judd declared his desire to return to Melbourne, sparking an almighty bidding war.

Carlton eventually won, but had to give up lots, with Josh Kennedy and the draft pick that ended up being Chris Masten heading West.

The Blues, after a period of struggle, hoped Judd would lead them to their first premiership since 1995.

Judd has been Carlton’s number one for some time. Photo: Getty

And while they haven’t achieved that, Judd has done all he could.

Of his six All-Australian selections, four came at Carlton, where he has won three best and fairests and added a second Brownlow Medal in 2010.

The Blues made the finals in three consecutive seasons from 2009 to 2011, only to be bundled out after close defeats on each occasion.

Judd gave up the captaincy at the end of 2012, giving young star Marc Murphy a crack at the top job, but his impact – both on and off the field – has remained considerable, despite Carlton’s slide down the ladder.

And that’s why footy fans reacted the way they did when seeing Judd leave the field on a stretcher.

The sad end

“It’s probably the hollowest I feel at a game of football. I’m actually sad that I may never see Chris Judd play again,” Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd said on 3AW.

Former Hawthorn star and Brisbane coach Leigh Matthews also said on 3AW: “It comes as a bit of a shock. It is a sad day, sad occasion if that [career-ending injury] ends up being the aftermath.”

Collingwood President Eddie McGuire added on Fox Footy: “An ornament to the game is the description we used to use in the old days and he certainly is that.”

The thoughts of Lloyd, Matthews and McGuire will be echoed across the footy community.

There’s also sadness in that a true champion probably won’t get the send off he should.

If anyone deserves a grand farewell, it’s Judd. The man who lit up the 2000’s with his scintillating brand of football. But he surely has played his last game.

At his absolute best, Judd might be the greatest I’ve seen.

It wasn’t meant to end like this.