Suns captain facing a long time out after injuring shoulder against Pies
GOLD Coast will have to wait until Monday to find out just how long they'll be without skipper Gary Ablett.
Ablett dislocated his left shoulder in Saturday night's heroic five-point win over Collingwood and will have scans on Monday.
A worst-case scenario could send the Suns' finals aspirations into a tailspin after the skipper was helped off by trainers clutching his shoulder and in severe pain midway through the third quarter.
Coach Guy McKenna said Ablett was in no mood for talking after the match.
"He'll go through what he has to go through and we'll keep our fingers and arms crossed that he'll be OK," McKenna said.
The injury occurred after a contest on the wing, where Ablett was tackled heavily by Collingwood tagger Brent Macaffer.
He appeared to break his fall with his left elbow, forcing the shoulder out of place.
The Suns remain in eighth place after the gutsy victory and face assignments against the Western Bulldogs (Cairns), Brisbane Lions (Gabba) and St Kilda (Metricon Stadium) in the coming month.
Any significant length of time on the sidelines for Ablett would severely dent Gold Coast's finals chances, but McKenna said defeating the Magpies without him for two quarters would be a huge confidence boost.
"I don't think we'd make a huge issue of it," McKenna said.
"We'd much prefer Gary playing of course, but it certainly helps the players understand (we can win without him).
"We've won games when Gary's had quiet games, if you call 30 possessions quiet games."
Ablett has missed just six games in his four seasons for the Suns.
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