Hawthorn captain Sam Mitchell will miss Saturday’s blockbuster with Geelong after undergoing surgery for a small fracture to a broken bone in his right hand.

Mitchell suffered the injury during the final quarter of his team’s thrilling win over the Western Bulldogs last Friday night.

Mitchell played a vital role in the victory, collecting five possessions, laying two tackles and laying a crucial smother during the frenetic final term. He also booted a superb left-foot goal to give his side the lead.

While his loss comes at a savage time with his club facing its biggest test of the year this weekend, the good news is the Hawks believe he may be ready to return as early as the round 16 clash with the Brisbane Lions.

Mitchell had surgery on Monday night, something Hawks football manager Mark Evans said was the best option to ensure the ball winner returned to the field as quickly as possible.

“We had decided that inserting a plate was the best option as he would have missed this week’s match anyway due to the fracture,” Evans told hawthornfc.com.au.

“The plate will give him maximum strength around the fracture site and he is likely to only miss one to two weeks, depending on how it settles down.”

Hawthorn also has concerns regarding defender Rick Ladson, who was a late withdrawal with a virus from the team that beat the Bulldogs.

He has been in hospital since the weekend but will be discharged on Tuesday.

The Hawks have not ruled him out of the Cats clash, with Ladson needing to train well in their final training sessions to be any chance of taking his place in the line-up.