Melbourne will found out how long star ruckman Max Gawn will be sidelined with a hamstring injury when he consults a surgeon on Monday.
Gawn limped out of Saturday’s AFL loss to Geelong in the second quarter after injuring his right hamstring in a contest with Cats skipper Joel Selwood.
He was initially expected to miss four weeks but could require surgery that will rule him out for longer after it was discovered he has suffered tendon damage.
“The scans showed that Max’s hamstring strain had some tendon involvement and as a result he will see a surgeon to determine whether he requires surgery,” Melbourne football chief Josh Mahoney said on Sunday.
“At this stage it’s too early to determine the exact length of time that Max will miss, however, with the tendon involvement we expect his recovery to be longer than your traditional hamstring injury.”
The news is a major blow to the Demons, who were initially relieved Gawn hadn’t ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, which would have required season-ending surgery.
Veteran onballer Bernie Vince was also injured in Melbourne’s first loss of the season.
The former Crow had a foot stomped on and underwent a surgical procedure on Saturday night to have the nail removed from a big toe.
The club are hopeful he will be fit to play Fremantle at the MCG on Saturday.
Elsewhere around the league, Adelaide are awaiting the results of scans on forward Mitch McGovern’s injured hamstring.
The 22-year-old pulled up short while chasing a ball across the boundary line during the Crows’ win over Port Adelaide and immediately left the game.
Greater Western Sydney star Ryan Griffen appears set for a long stint on the sidelines after he suffered a significant ankle injury in his side’s win over North Melbourne.
The Western Bulldogs will assess Liam Picken’s condition ahead of their Good Friday clash against North Melbourne after he was concussed in a collision with Fremantle’s Tommy Sheridan.
Carlton’s Jacob Weitering left the MCG with blood coming from a head wound after a fearsome clash of heads with Essendon’s Michael Hurley but returned to play out the game.
