HAWTHORN star Will Day will be sidelined for a large chunk of the home and away season after a stress fracture was discovered in his foot on Monday night.

The 23-year-old is expected to be sidelined until at least the Hawks' next bye in round 15 and could miss up to four months. 

Day missed the first six rounds of 2024 after suffering the same injury in the same foot last January. 

The Peter Crimmins Medallist has undergone regular scans since then, and a fresh issue was found after Day reported soreness in his foot over the weekend. 

Subsequent scans revealed the midfielder has suffered a stress fracture in the navicular bone of his foot. Surgery is required to fix the fracture and will reduce the risk of future issues.

Day, who came in at No.16 in the April edition of AFL.com.au's The 25 will undergo surgery in the coming days, stalling his brilliant start to 2025 in a significant blow for Sam Mitchell’s side.

The South Australian missed both finals last September due to a complex collarbone injury, which ultimately required surgery in October and delayed his start to the pre-season. 

Day is currently equal eighth in the Sharp EIT Solutions AFLCA AFL Champion Player of the Year Award after averaging 23 disposals, 12.3 contested possessions and 5.3 clearances per game. 

Hawthorn is expected to regain James Worpel for this weekend’s trip to South Australia to play Port Adelaide in Gather Round, but will now need to navigate most of winter without Day.