Melbourne captain Max Gawn expects to miss Saturday night’s crucial match against Essendon due to a painful ankle injury.
Gawn injured his right ankle late in the second quarter of Sunday’s 54-point win over West Coast and was taken out of the game in the final quarter.
The injury occurred when Gawn attempted to kick the ball from the center and instead hit the body of rising West Coast star Harley Reid with his foot.
Demons coach Simon Goodwin played down concerns about Gawn in his post-match press conference.
But Gawn was on crutches at AAMI Park on Monday and wore a moon boot on his right foot.
The 32-year-old underwent scans to determine the extent of the damage.
“It hurts quite a bit, I have to admit. I woke up in a lot of pain. Obviously I played the second half with some tension,” Gawn told reporters.
“At the moment I think I’m going to miss it just because it hurts so much, but I’ve seen what the human body can do and it can certainly recover pretty quickly.
“I’m always pretty optimistic about these things. I don’t know exactly what it is yet, so we’re waiting for some information. I’m sure we can give it to you this afternoon.
“I would say it’s more of a short-term thing – at least I hope so – but it hurts quite a bit.”
There were also injury concerns on the west coast.
Star defender Jeremy McGovern was hospitalized with suspected rib and lung injuries following a collision in the final quarter.
McGovern was released from hospital on Sunday evening but remains in Melbourne with a club employee.
West Coast says they will provide an update on the extent of McGovern’s injuries once they have more details.
Captain Oscar Allen, who scored four goals, is being examined again for an ankle injury.