St Kilda will be without duo Hunter Clark and Dougal Howard for the coming weeks after the pair suffered injury setbacks in Friday night's win over Carlton.
A head clash with teammate Dan Butler left Clark requiring urgent medical attention in the middle of Marvel Stadium, with the young Saint soon being carted off the field and having his night end early.
The club has since confirmed Clark has undergone surgery on a broken nose after spending Friday night in hospital, with no clear timeframe on a return listed.
โThis is really disappointing for Hunter," Saints football boss David Rath told saints.com.au.
โHeโs had a very unlucky run with injuries over the past 18 months.
โHowever, the good thing about Hunter is that he brings such a great attitude to his rehabilitation, something I have no doubt weโll see again this time around.โ
Howard is set to miss St Kilda's crucial coming rounds after requiring an arthroscope on a hampered knee.
The meniscus injury could see Howard miss up to two months of action, with the Saints to seek a specialist in the coming days.
โDougal will consult a specialist following a knee scan earlier today and undergo an arthroscopy on Tuesday to assess a medial meniscal tear,โ Rath said.
โAt this stage weโre uncertain as to the exact management for this injury, so weโre unable to provide clarity on how long Dougal will miss, however weโll look to share a further update when that information comes to hand.โ
St Kilda are scheduled to face fellow finals hopefuls Fremantle and the Western Bulldogs in the next fortnight.
