Chad Wingard is set to miss another month of footy with the calf injury that sidelined him before the Round 15 bye.
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell broke the news on Friday morning that the calf, initially thought to just be tight, is actually torn.
"He's got a little tear in there, it's probably going to cost him a month," Mitchell said onย SEN Breakfast.
"He's got a little tear in there, it's probably going to cost him a month."
- @HawthornFC coach Sam Mitchell with breaking news on Chad Wingard's calf injury he sustained yesterday.#AFL
— SEN Breakfast (@SENBreakfast) July 11, 2024
"I don't have all the information just yet.
"I feel so bad for him because he's just worked as hard as he ever has in his time that I've seen him to try and get himself right, and he deserves a genuine crack at this late part of the season.
"It can be a cruel game."
The 30-year-old forward is yet to play a senior match in 2024, last featuring at AFL level in Round 22, 2023 against the Bulldogs, when he ruptured his achilles in a gruesome incident.
He had recently returned to football, playing through his calf tightness at Box Hill last weekend in their one-point win over Geelong, where he had 13 disposals and four inside 50s.
He is pushing for a contract extension beyond this season, but will now have to wait to fight for his spot for the final two or three matches of the season, with hopes that Hawthorn can scrape into September action.
