Hawthorn will be without skipper Ben McEvoy for an extended period after the ruckman suffered a small fracture in his neck during a training mishap.
McEvoy was hurt in a collision with a teammate, with scans later revealing that he’d fractured a lateral bone in his neck.
Hawthorn is yet to place a timeline on his recovery but confirmed that the 32-year-old would not require surgery.
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“Once healed, this will have no impact on Ben’s ability to play football moving forward and at this stage we expect him to return to the team in the back half of the season,” Hawthorn club doctor, Liam West, said in a statement.
“We’ll continue to assess Ben throughout his recovery following further specialist advice.”
“I was pretty sore straight after, then yesterday afternoon went to get some scans,” McEvoy said.
“It has been confirmed that I’ve got a small fracture in one of the lateral bones in my neck, but it’s all stable and safe.
“I’m going to have some time out of the game while that heals, but I’m really pleased that I’m going to make a full recovery with no ongoing complications.”
McEvoy’s Hawks will aim to continue their winning start to the season when they face the also unbeaten Carlton at the MCG on Sunday afternoon.