MELBOURNE spearhead Tayla Harris will require scans on her troublesome shoulder after two "moments of instability" in the Dees' two-point win over Geelong.
Harris – who has a history of shoulder issues – had injured the joint at pre-season camp, but said she had fully rehabbed it before her surprise trip to the Paris Olympics.
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She first hurt the shoulder in the opening term against Geelong, jostling for position while running alongside Meg McDonald, and again in the third when she was tackled to the ground by Rachel Kearns.
The landing was awkward, her elbow hitting the deck and forcing her shoulder into an uncomfortable angle. She was in considerable pain before being ruled out for the remainder of the game.
The Cats defender has her own injury concerns, being ruled out for the match with a chest/rib issue.
"Just got an update before I came in. There were two moments of instability throughout the game, I think one early, and then one in that third quarter," Melbourne coach Mick Stinear said.
"That was enough to rule her out for the rest of the game. We'll look to get some scans tomorrow or Monday and see where that's at.
"She was okay after the game. But there was that shoulder injury that occurred a few months ago in our pre-season camp, in a training session, it was another flare-up of that unfortunately."
Harris missed the practice match against Port Adelaide with a quad concern, and the match simulation the week prior due to her return from Paris, but Stinear backed the decision to select the forward.
"I didn't see any risk playing her, once we got the all-clear from the quad. She has done a lot of training in the pre-season and having that surgery back in December, a solid few months of rehab and a lot of skills and fundamentals," Stinear said.
"I feel like she was ready to play tonight, it was probably just an unfortunate moment that she had a bit of a flare up, but we'll review and find out. But very comfortable with her taking the field tonight."
