Melbourne skipper Max Gawn is expected to be sidelined for 3-5 weeks after scans confirmed the ruck was dealing with a syndesmosis injury.
Gawn appeared sore during Monday's loss to Collingwood, coping a knee in the back during the second term of the 26-point loss and was spotted on Tuesday in a moonboot as he headed for scans.
The 30-year-old spent time in the rooms on Monday but played out the game, with the club now confirming he will be facing a period on the sidelines, but will not require surgery.
Alan Richardson, Melbourne's GM of AFL Performance confirmed Gawn would miss at least the next three weeks.
“Max had a left ankle concern during the game and, while he managed to battle through, was quite sore afterwards,” he said.
“He had some scans on Tuesday, which unfortunately showed some ligament damage.
“Max will be in a moonboot until early next week and will then begin his structured rehabilitation program.
“It’s obviously disappointing that we will be without our leader for the next three to five weeks, but we’re hopeful it’ll be a relatively quick recovery for Max, and he won’t miss too much footy.”
Meanwhile, luckless debutant Daniel Turner will be sidelined for approximately a month after he undergoes surgery. The young Demon was substituted out of his debut game on Monday after a heavy collision with Magpie Jamie Elliot left him with a facial fracture.
“This is a disappointing outcome for Daniel, who has worked extremely hard to earn his spot in the senior side,” Richardson said.
“Daniel will undergo surgery this week and we expect him to miss approximately four weeks.”