SCANS have revealed lanky Brisbane forward Eric Hipwood has suffered a mild medial ligament strain on his right knee.
Hipwood had scans early on Tuesday afternoon and the club is still hopeful he will be available to play Port Adelaide on Sunday.
The injury was sustained in the opening quarter of the Lions' head-turning 20-point victory over Greater Western Sydney, with Hipwood battling the game out under duress.
Eric Hipwood is on fire!
— AFL (@AFL) June 30, 2019
He's kicked the last three goals of the game. #AFLLionsDees pic.twitter.com/ehAdPSToTI
At training on Tuesday morning he was sporting a huge brace on the knee and was limited to handball drills.
"We won't be taking any risks with him," Fagan said.
"If he's not right, he'll have a rest.
"We're pretty sure whatever the outcome is, if he is out, he won't be out too long."
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Hipwood was arguably the game-winner when Brisbane over-ran Port in its 17-point round three win, kicking a career-high six goals, including five in the first half.
The 21-year-old has had a strong season, kicking 26 goals, and would be a significant loss.
"The fact he was able to play out the game gives him a little bit of confidence," Fagan said.
"He had a bit of trouble on change of direction, but straight-line running and his ability to jump, he wasn't impeded."
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Hipwood's troubles have been offset by the return of ruckman Oscar McInerney, who missed the Giants match following concussion the previous week.
Fagan said McInerney was passed fit to play at the weekend, but Brisbane decided to take a conservative approach.
"My experience with guys that get concussions, a lot of them pass the test but they don't always play all that well, because their reflexes aren't so good or their confidence is down," Fagan said.
"We just wanted to make sure he was OK."
Brisbane's Oscar McInerney received an ovation as he left the field following a collision with Melbourne's Christian Salem.#AFLLionsDees pic.twitter.com/VNgAnikT8K
— AFL.com.au (@AFLcomau) June 30, 2019
Sunday's match at Adelaide Oval pits not only two top-eight teams against one another, but two of the most attacking and daring teams in the competition.
"It will be interesting to see whether it becomes a game of high scoring or a war of attrition, I'm not sure which way it will go," Fagan said.
"I'm sure neither of us coaches will care what the score is at the end, or how many points we've kicked, as long as we've got the W."