By Michael Whiting

Gold Coast SUNS defender Seb Tape is looking at a second stint on the sideline this season after suffering a knee injury against North Melbourne on Saturday night.

Tape was helped from the field late in the third quarter after his right leg was caught under Kangaroos' small forward Lindsay Thomas.

The 19-year-old will undergo scans to determine the full extent of the damage, but SUNS coach Guy McKenna was not optimistic.

"Sebby's looks bad. A bit too early to assess that at the moment, but it looks nasty," McKenna said in the post-match press conference.

"We'll have fingers and legs and arms and everything else crossed for him, but early signs is it's not good.

"We've just got to wait for the dust to settle before they make the diagnosis."

Tape missed a week earlier this season after having his three front teeth knocked out against Adelaide in round one.

On that occasion Tape was running back with the flight of the ball into oncoming traffic.

It's that type of commitment that has the South Australian so highly rated at the SUNS.

"You want to talk about courage and effort, it's Seb Tape all over," McKenna said earlier this season.

"When he's right, he's playing most weeks for us because we know what we get."

Fellow defender Rory Thompson also hobbled off in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury, but appears in better shape.

"I'd hope with an ankle, fingers crossed, he'd come up for the West Coast game (after next week's bye)," McKenna said.