Shiels, Spangher down for Hawks as Saints lose Armitage
Liam Shiels suffers 'significant' injury while Saints lose key midfielder
HAWTHORN has lost midfielder Liam Shiels and defender Matt Spangher for the Easter Monday clash against Geelong, with both expected to be sidelined for up to a month.
Shiels injured his AC joint in a collision with Gold Coast's Jarrod Harbrow last Saturday night, while Spangher was substituted during the third quarter with an ankle injury.
"[Shiels] bravely played on in the second half of the game but didn’t pull up well,” football manager Chris Fagan told hawthornfc.com.au.
"He’s got a significant AC joint injury in his shoulder and he’ll be missing for probably 3-4 weeks.
"[Spangher] hasn’t pulled up all that well unfortunately … he’s done some significant damage to some ligaments in his ankle.
"It’s a bit of a blow for Matt because he was in some great form and he’s had a battle with injuries in the past, it’s another little stumbling block for him."
Ruckman Ben McEvoy and defenders Brian Lake, Ben Stratton and Ryan Schoenmakers will all be available to face Geelong.
Bradley Hill and Will Langford have also been declared fit for the blockbuster clash despite suffering bruising knocks against the Suns.
Meanwhile, St Kilda midfielder David Armitage will miss one match with a minor knee injury after needing stitches for a cut sustained against Adelaide last Sunday.
Armitage has lacerated skin on his left knee, caused by Crows midfielder Patrick Dangerfield's boot, and is struggling to bend the leg this week.
The 25-year-old is expected to be available for the Saints' Anzac Day clash against the Brisbane Lions in round six.
"He had to have stitches in it [and] he is struggling to bend his knee so we’ve ruled him out for a week but he will be right the week after," club physio Andrew Wallis told saints.com.au.
Armitage, who finished fifth in the 2013 best and fairest, has missed just three games since the end of 2010.