Melbourne is set to be without captain Max Gawn for Saturday's clash with Essendon at the MCG and potentially further following an ankle injury sustained over the weekend.
During the win over West Coast on Sunday, Gawn is seen to have hurt his ankle during the contest, which has turned out worse than initially anticipated.
The Demons' ruck is facing up to three weeks on the sidelines following the result of the scans.
โScans have today shown that Max has sustained a chip to the base of his right fibula,โ Demons football boss Alan Richardson said in a club update.ย
โWhile this is disappointing news for Max, fortunately he won't require surgery.
โMax is the ultimate professional and leader and we know he'll attack his rehab and continue to play a pivotal role in our group over the next few weeks, albeit from the sidelines.โจโจ
"While Max is the calibre of player that can't be replaced easily, it provides an exciting opportunity for others to come in and play their role in our side.โ
Gawn was seen in a moon boot and on crutches on Monday.
"It's pretty sore, I must admit. I woke up very sore. Obviously played the second half in a bit of distress," Gawn said, according toย AFL Media.
"At this stage, I'm thinking that (I will miss), just because of how sore it is, but I've seen some stuff that the human body can do and it can certainly turn around pretty quickly.
"I'm always looking quite optimistic at these things. I don't exactly know what it really is yet so we're waiting for a bit of information, I'm sure we'll get it to you this afternoon. I'd say it's more of a short-term thing โ I'm hoping โ but it is pretty sore."
This would be a massive blow to Simon Goodwin's side if the six-time All-Australian was absent, given the form of Bombers ruck Sam Draper and accompanying acts Peter Wright and Harrison Jones.
The Demons sit just outside the eight on percentage and will need to continue their winning ways if they have a chance to play finals in 2024.
Former Brisbane ruck Tom Fullarton was a carry-over emergency on Sunday and is the likely replacement for Gawn while Jacob van Rooyen has assisted in the ruck at times.
This could mean that Goodwin brings in another forward to help bolster the forward line, with Josh Schache and Shane McAdam performing strongly in the VFL.
Untried youngster Matthew Jefferson could also be in the mix following his three-goal outing on the weekend.
Heading into Round 18, Goodwin was buoyed by the performance of van Rooyen, who slotted four goals against a strong Eagles defensive outfit.
First-year star Caleb Windsor arguably had his best game for the club while Trent Rivers' move to the midfield (in the absence of Christian Petracca) has seen the club find its "identity".
"These are the guys that we've invested a fair bit of time into now and our footy club's evolving on the back of those guys," Goodwin said post-game.
"We're certainly finding our identity again and the way that we want to play, and our younger players are starting to drive it forward.
"That's exciting for us and we've still got enormous growth in us, but if we stick to the way that we're playing right now we'll keep building as the year goes on."
