EXCITING Hawthorn defender Will Day will have surgery on a nasty ankle injury sustained on Sunday.
Day hobbled off in the third term of the Hawks' loss to Richmond, unable to put weight on his right ankle. He is now facing an extended stint on the sidelines after scans have confirmed a fracture.
It is a further setback for the Hawks' defence which is already missing James Sicily (ACL) for the majority of the season.
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Day, 19, finished fifth in the NAB AFL Rising Star in his debut campaign last year and had enjoyed an impressive start to 2021.
There's better news for the club's 2020 No.6 pick, Denver Grainger-Barras, who has escaped serious damage in a knee injury sustained in a VFL practice match on Sunday.
The West Australian suffered bone bruising after hyperextending his knee and will miss the coming weeks, but the club is hopeful he'll be fit to return inside a month.
Mercurial forward Chad Wingard is expected to return for the Hawks' Easter Monday date with Geelong after ticking off the required steps in his recovery from a February calf strain.
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Defender Jack Scrimshaw, who was the Hawks' medical sub against the Tigers, is expected to replace Day in the starting side, while Damon Greaves is another who will be considered.
