Hawthorn midfielder Will Day is hoping to return in Round 7, with a timeline for the best and fairest winner's return becoming more clear.
Day is currently nursing a stress fracture in his foot sustained in January and will miss at least another five weeks, according toย AFL Media's Josh Gabelich.
Will Day has been ruled out for at least another five weeks. Aiming to return for Hawthornโs round seven game vs Sydney. More on @AFLcomau
— Josh Gabelich (@JoshGabelich) March 19, 2024
The club had already ruled out Day for their season opener with Essendon but were hopeful of an early season return.
Speaking a month ago, coach Sam Mitchell resigned to the fact that the 22-year-old will unlikely feature early in the season but conceded it was a day-by-day process.
"He'll miss the start of the season. How far into it that is I'm not exactly sure but he certainly won't be available for round one unfortunately," Mitchell said in February.
"Unfortunatelyย it will be a little while until he has that impact on the field.
"... He's still in the boot at the moment and we know he's been ruled out of round one. He's saying 'OK, round one, so can I play round two?' But it's one of those injuries where you scan them every couple of weeks and see how much development he's had.
"So at the moment he's out of round one but not sure how long at this stage."
Day has since taken up off-field roles during his injury, helping out where he can.
