RICHMOND midfielder Shane Edwards will be sidelined for up to three weeks after scans revealed a hairline crack in his right fibula.
Edwards was substituted from the Tigers' 30-point win over Carlton in the third term and left the MCG on crutches.
Click here for full match coverage and statistics
The 26-year-old limped from the ground before being assessed by trainers and made a brief attempt to run out the injury, which was quickly aborted.
He underwent scans on Saturday and the club confirmed he'd miss its next 2-3 games.
Click here to watch Damien Hardwick's full post-match press conference
Edwards has averaged career high disposals (20.8), inside 50s (3.5) and clearances (4.0) this season, becoming a vital attacking cog in the Tigers' midfield.
His absence was felt in the final quarter on Friday night as Richmond ground out an ugly win, failing to convert forward entries into scores.
"We ended up with 13 marks inside 50 but I think we had six in the last quarter when the game opened up a little bit," coach Damien Hardwick said.
"You work hard to get the ball there, but if you don't finish the ball just comes back the other way.
"To have 52 entries inside 50 and only kick 10 goals, it's not good enough. We've just got to work on that.
Shane Edwards looks set for a stint on the sidelines after injuring his right leg. Picture: AFL Media
"It wasn't pretty at all, but we take the win and we move on."
Hardwick said it was a sign of the Tigers' maturity that they could play below their best and still win, having now won seven of their past eight games to sit fifth on the ladder.
"Twelve months or 24 months ago, if we're not playing our best footy we don't win," he said.
"If you look at the last 25 games we've played, we've won a lot (17 games).
"We're nowhere near playing our best at the moment, we understand that, but we're winning. We've got a lot of improvement in us."
Hardwick said Ty Vickery's snapped tooth had likely been stuck in his mouthguard, but the coach hadn't seen the tall forward's bump on Michael Jamison that could land him in trouble with the Match Review Panel.
Vickery bumped an unsuspecting Jamison off the ball, prompting an unexpected clash of heads that resulted in Jamison being subbed off with concussion.
At the other end of the ground, star defender Alex Rance was at his best on Friday night, but Hardwick played down the All Australian's influence.
"He was very good defensively, but offensively he probably hurt us a little bit," he said.
"He was complaining with me after the game that I moved him away from the play at various stages.
"But put it this way, if he didn't play the first half we would probably have been behind."
Rance had 18 possessions and eight marks in the first half but added just four disposals in the second half.
